List LearnDash courses lessons WordPress plugin

LearnDash is the world's leading WordPress LMS (Learning Management System) plugin. Keep reading to discover the easy way to list your LearnDash LMS courses and lessons in a searchable, filterable table.

LearnDash is a fantastic WordPress LMS. It makes it easy to create online courses with sophisticated features. And with the LearnDash WooCommerce add-on, you can even sell your courses online!

LearnDash comes with some neat layouts and shortcodes that you can use to display your courses and lessons - either in a grid or as a basic list. However, if you have lots of courses then you might find these slightly limiting. That's where the Posts Table Pro plugin comes in.

LearnDash lessons list in a table

Keep reading to learn how to list any type of WordPress content in a table:

You can choose what information to display about your courses and lessons, and which courses you want to include. It's even possible to add filter dropdowns to help students to find particular LearnDash content more easily!

Before you start

We'll need the Posts Table Pro WordPress plugin in order to list courses and lessons from the LearnDash CMS in a table.

  1. Download the plugin from the link provided in your order confirmation email. This will save a zip file to your computer.
  2. Go to your WordPress admin panel, then navigate to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin.
  3. Click "Choose File" and select the posts-table-pro.zip file you just downloaded.
  4. After uploading, click "Activate"
  5. The Posts Table Pro setup wizard will automatically open. Follow the prompts to create your license key.

If you are not familiar with building courses on LearnDash, you can check out Learndash Dashboard. It comes with an intuitive frontend builder to help you create dashboards for instructors, students, and group leaders to monitor and manage anything related to their LearnDash account.

List LearnDash courses in a table

First, let's learn each stage of the process for creating a table or how to list your LearnDash courses in a table. You can add the table to any page on your site, or even to other locations such as sidebar widgets.

  1. The setup wizard will open automatically when you install the plugin. Alternatively, go to Post Tables → Add New to create new tables.
  2. Give your table a name and select the post type you wish to display. If you don't have a content type yet, you can create one using the Easy Post Types and Fields plugin for free.
  3. Select the posts or pages you want to include in the table. The available options will vary depending on the post type you selected in the previous step. If you chose a post with custom taxonomy, the relevant taxonomies will be listed for you to select.
  4. Customize your table according to your preferences. You can choose which columns to display and in what order. To add a new column, choose the column type from the dropdown menu and click "Add". You can also reorder columns by dragging and dropping the sort icon or column heading. Check out the full list of available columns. You can add lots of additional columns including custom fields, taxonomies, and more!
  5. You can improve user experience by adding filters to your table in the Post Table Pro plugin. Filters appear as dropdowns above the table and can be customized according to your preferences. You can add as many filters as you want.
  6. Enable lazy loading to improve the table's performance, even when containing hundreds or thousands of items.
  7. Choose how to sort the table. You can set the default sorting option and the sort direction.
  8. Finally, the wizard will confirm that you have finished creating your table and provide instructions for inserting it onto your site.

Choosing which courses to display

If you don't want to list all the courses from your LearnDash LMS, that's fine too. Use these options to control which courses to list in the table. You can list LearnDash courses by category, ID, date, author, custom field or custom taxonomy values, and more.

Once you've created a table using the Post Table Pro plugin, the next step is to display it on your WordPress site. There are two ways to do this, and both options provide you with flexibility in terms of where the table appears on your site.

There are two ways to display the table created with the Post Table Pro plugin on your WordPress site.

  1. The first method involves using the 'Post Table' block in the Gutenberg editor to insert the table directly from the block settings.
  2. The second method is to copy the shortcode from the table builder of the main Tables page in the Post Tables section of the WordPress admin and paste it anywhere on your site. This method allows you to place the table on any page, regardless of its content, providing you with the flexibility to showcase the table where it's most relevant.

An example list of LearnDash courses

Display LearnDash courses table

List LearnDash topics in a table

LearnDash has a feature that lets you add topics to your lessons and courses. This is an excellent way to group your course content thematically.

Posts Table Pro is excellent for allowing students to search by topic, as they simply type a topic name into the search box above the table.

If you want to create a table that includes a list of topics, simply specify the 'topic title', 'topic tag', and 'topic category' in their respective columns when using the table builder.

It's not possible to include the lesson name in the table because LearnDash stores the lesson as a separate post type, and not as a field on the topic post. If you want to list the topics for each lesson individually, then it's best to create a separate table for each lesson.

You can easily do this by using topic categories to record which lesson each topic is used on. You can then add the lesson name as a subheading on the page, and add a table listing the topics for that lesson underneath.

Sell LearnDash courses with WooCommerce and WooCommerce Product Table

Sell LearnDash courses product table WooCommerce

Lots of LearnDash LMS websites like to take payment for courses. The student pays for a course online and then receives instant access to the course and all its lessons, quizzes, etc.

The LearnDash WooCommerce plugin provides an excellent way to do this. You install WooCommerce to provide the e-commerce and payment features, create a new product, select the 'Course' product type, and choose which course the student will be enrolled in when they buy the product.

The problem with this plugin is that your course products are listed in a standard store layout, which isn't really designed for selling courses! Each course product is displayed with a large image and very little information about the course. It's difficult to compare courses alongside one another, and students have to scroll down a long way to see the different courses. Compare the two screenshots below:

As you can see, the table layout on the right is a much better way to display courses. If you want to display course images then you can add small thumbnails to the table, but there's no need for such huge images. It's better to show more products within a smaller amount of space, along with extra information about each course. You can also add quick filters and a search box to help people to find courses more easily, for example by category.

You can achieve all this by using the LearnDash WooCommerce plugin with the WooCommerce Product Table plugin. And if you like the quick view buttons in the screenshot above, then you'll need the WooCommerce Quick View Pro plugin too. I'll tell you how to set all this up next.

Listing LearnDash products with WooCommerce Product Table

  1. Set up LearnDash, add some courses, and then use the WooCommerce Integration add-on to create some course products.
  2. If you'll be using WooCommerce Product Table to sell other types of products as well as courses, create a category for your course products.
  3. Install WooCommerce Product Table.
  4. Go to WooCommerce → Settings → Products → Product Tables and choose the settings for your tables. In particular, choose which columns you want to include, and add filters to help people to buy specific courses more easily.
  5. Create a new page, which you'll use to list your LearnDash course products.
  6. Add the shortcode: [product_table category="courses"]. Replace 'courses' with the slug of the product category you want to display, or if you're not using categories then just use [product_table]).

This will create a searchable table listing the LearnDash courses that you have added as WooCommerce products. It's perfect if you want to create a one-page order form for signing up to your courses. Students can select the courses they want to sign up to (either using the add to cart buttons or quick-select checkboxes) and pay for them all using the WooCommerce checkout.

Add quick view buttons

Normally, students have to click on the product title to learn more about the course and read the full description. You can speed up the process by installing WooCommerce Quick View Pro.

This handy plugin lets you add 'quick view' buttons to the product table. Potential students can use these to learn more about each course from a quick view lightbox popup. That's much faster than having to visit a separate page for each product. It also keeps them on the list of courses, which encourages them to sign up for multiple courses at once.

Once you've installed WooCommerce Quick View Pro, simply add quick_view to your list of columns on the WooCommerce Product Table settings page. For example, your list of columns might now be: image,name,quick_view,buy

List WordPress forums

bbPress forum list replies

LearnDash integrates with the bbPress forum plugin, which is ideal if you want to provide discussion forums for your LMS courses.

If you'd like to list these in a table, instead of using the standard bbPress forum layouts, then check out our other tutorial. This provides full instructions on how to use Posts Table Pro to list your LearnDash forums and discussion topics in a table.

Display LearnDash quizzes in a table

List LearnDash Quizzes WordPress plugin

It's also possible to list LearnDash quizzes in a table. To do this, install LearnDash and Posts Table Pro (as described above) and either use the Gutenberg editor to insert your list of quizzes block or copy the shortcode from the final page of the WordPress table builder. You can then paste it anywhere on your site.

Use the include option to choose which quizzes to show. For example, if you wanted to list quizzes for a specific course only (e.g. on the course homepage), then you would select all the quizzes for that course.

Displaying other LearnDash data in a table

So far, we've looked at how to display LearnDash courses, lessons, forums, quizzes, and WooCommerce course products in a searchable table view. LearnDash also comes with other post types such as groups (groups) and assignments (sfwd-assignment) which you can list in a table.

To list other LearnDash post types, just select the post type on the first page of the Posts Table Pro table builder.

Adding a searchable directory of course materials to your LearnDash courses

Add resources to LearnDash courses

Finally, there's one more way that you can improve your LearnDash courses. As well as listing the courses and course information in a searchable format, it's important to consider how to present your course materials.

Most LMS courses need to provide extra resources to their students. For example, this might include course handbooks, lesson notes, worksheets, links to useful websites, and so on. The best way to do this is with Posts Table Pro's sister plugin - Document Library Pro.

Document Library Pro makes it easy to:

  • Add any type of resource, link or download to LearnDash.
  • Display them in any location within your courses and lesson pages.
  • Add easy search boxes and filter dropdowns so that students can find the resources they need.

For full details, check out our tutorial on how to add searchable course materials to LearnDash.

Where to get the plugins

As you can see, Posts Table Pro offers the perfect way to list LearnDash courses, lessons, forums and quizzes in a more searchable, interactive format. It's an excellent way to engage potential students and encourage them to take more courses.

Or if you want to list WooCommerce course products, then you can do this with WooCommerce Product Table and WooCommerce Quick View Pro.

Together, these plugins provide the perfect solution to listing any type of LearnDash data in a table. Get them today, and start listing your LearnDash content in new and better ways!

WordPress password protected events table

Whether you’re a professional event organizer or need to host a few events every now and then, you need an easy way to be able to share important event details with your site’s visitors. A WordPress event list plugin is a simple way to get started.

While most event plugins (like The Events Calendar, Events Calendar, EventOn, and Event Espresso) are all-in-one solutions that offer neat features like …

  • Online registrations,
  • Integration with Google Maps,
  • Saving events to personal calendars (such as Google Calendar), and
  • Various event management options

… they’re not always the best (or most efficient) option for those looking to create a simple event listing without slowing down their site.

By creating an event list, you’ll be able to share details about upcoming events directly through your WordPress website. This may include the event’s name, venue, date and time, and registration information. To take things up a notch, you can even let prospective attendees make bookings.

With this in mind, in this article, we’ll cover the three best options for a WordPress event list plugin. More specifically, we’ll show you how you can:

Let’s get right to it!

Solution #1: Create an events page using a WordPress event list plugin

If you use your website to sell upcoming events then you probably need an easy way to display them and share important event details with your site’s visitors. However, using a full-fledged WordPress events calendar plugin might not always be the best option. For starters, it could weigh down your site causing increased page loading times.

So, if you’re looking for an easy way to create an events page where you can list upcoming events, you can use the lightweight WooCommerce Product Table plugin. The plugin lets you list events in an organized way on your website. You can also use it to sell tickets to your training courses or events.

A fully-customized WooCommerce events page.

The easy way to sell events on your WordPress website

WordPress is an ideal platform to showcase upcoming events, promote them to site visitors, and let prospective attendees purchase event tickets or make reservations online. Paired with WooCommerce, you can create a dedicated event page (as a WooCommerce product) for each event you organize.

However, the default WooCommerce store layout isn’t the best option for selling upcoming events. This is because it requires prospective attendees to navigate to single product pages (or event pages, in this case) in order to view details and add an event to the cart.

Instead, you need a way to display your events in an organized table layout on a single page. This way, you’ll be able to share important information about each event and make it easy for prospective attendees to learn more about them and take action.

You can even make your WordPress event list searchable, sortable, and filterable in order to make it easy for visitors to find what they’re looking for. What’s more is that they’ll be able to compare different events (without navigating to single event pages) and buy tickets for multiple events at once.

Create an events page (without using an events plugin)

The WooCommerce Product Table plugin allows users to create a fully functional, front-end product table to create a WordPress event list. In other words, it works as a lightweight WordPress event list plugin that lets you create event pages and showcase upcoming events in an organized way.

For this, you’ll need a WordPress website with WooCommerce installed on it. Once that’s done, you’ll simply add each event as a WooCommerce product. The reason behind adding events as WooCommerce products is so you’re able to:

  • Create custom fields. You can create custom fields to share details about the event venue, date and time, theme, when tickets go on sale, etc….
  • Offer variations and add-ons. You can offer different types of tickets (e.g. general admission or VIP pass) or collect information (e.g. dietary requirements) using WooCommerce product add-ons.
Add date picker to WooCommerce product for training course product

So, if you’re looking for an easy-to-use event list WordPress plugin that won’t slow down your site then be sure to check out the full tutorial for step-by-step instructions.

It walks you through a simple, four-step process to create an events page and add a WordPress event list to it. Optionally, you can also choose to add quick view to your event listings to share event galleries. This is an easy way to give prospective attendees a feel for what they can expect while adding visual appeal to your event listings!

Create an events page (using an events plugin)

While WooCommerce Product Table is a simple WordPress event list plugin, you can also use it with a full-blown events plugin if you’re looking for advanced functionality. This way, you could add neat features to your event site such as:

  • Creating an event calendar that displays all upcoming events in a calendar view.
  • Providing iCal download links that attendees can use to save upcoming events to their personal calendars such as Google Calendar.
  • Making it easy to see recurring events. This is a great option for organizations that host seminars, conferences, and meetings.
  • Integrating Google Maps to make it easy for attendees to find the event venue.

The key benefit of this approach is that you’re able to leverage advanced event functionality while being able to use a WordPress event list plugin to showcase upcoming events in a dynamic table layout.

The full tutorial shows you how to set this up using popular WordPress event plugins such as Events Calendar, EventOn, or Event Espresso.


Solution #2: List upcoming events with The Events Calendar plugin

If you’re already using a WordPress event calendar plugin – like The Events Calendar – then you can enhance your event site’s layout by creating a searchable events table to list upcoming events. This method works for both the free plugin or the pro version of The Events Calendar plugin.

Why the default event layouts don’t cut it

As an events manager, you’re probably using a WordPress event plugin (such as The Events Calendar, Events Calendar Pro, or EventOn) to display upcoming events. However, the default event layouts on offer with these plugins have limitations which prevent you from delivering the best possible user experience.

For example, with the Events Calendar plugin, you’re able to list events in a basic list or in an event calendar view. And with Events Calendar Pro, you also get a map view for displaying Google Maps.

While this works fine for organizations that host a handful of events, larger event organizations that have loads of events need a better way to showcase them. Ideally, they need a way to be able to display their WordPress event list in a compact format. One way to achieve the perfect balance between displaying all important event details and showcasing more events per page is by using a WordPress event list plugin to create a compact table view.

WordPress event list plugin to display events in a compact table view

If your event WordPress plugin creates a custom post type for each event you add to it (such as Events Calendar Pro) then you can use Posts Table Pro as a WordPress event list plugin. This way, you’ll be able to display events in an interactive list or table view.

WordPress events table plugin list

Customers can view the events in a table and click through to the single event page to learn more. If you're using the Events Tickets and Events Tickets Plus add-ons, then they can also add the event to their cart and book a place.

Here are some of the key benefits of using a WordPress event list plugin to showcase upcoming events in a table view:

  • Lets you display more events (with event details) on the same screen.
  • Allows prospective attendees to sort events to quickly find the type of event they’re looking for.
  • Search for events using the table’s search bar.

With Posts Table Pro, you’ll have full control over the front-end table layout. You can decide which columns to display based on the sorts of events you’re organizing. For example, you could include any combination of the following columns:

  • Event image
  • Event name
  • Brief description (what the event is and who it’s for)
  • Links to single event pages
  • Event categories
  • Ticket prices
  • Add to cart buttons (for selling event tickets) along with options to add multiple tickets to cart

Another neat use case for using a WordPress event list plugin is that you can make it easy for prospective attendees to browse and compare events. When they find the event they’re looking for, they can simply click from the events table to the single event page created by whichever WordPress event plugin you’re using. In other words, it acts as a directory listing of events!

Listing WordPress events in a table layout

If you already have your event website setup, you can use the Posts Table Pro plugin to list all of your events in a front-end table layout.

WordPress event list plugin

The neat thing about this WordPress event list plugin is that it lets you add the compact events table to any page or post on your website. You can even create multiple tables, for example, one table per event category.

Additionally, you can use it to create a standalone event listing (or directory) or as a layer on top of viewing options that are already provided by the WordPress event calendar plugin you’re using.

Be sure to check out our step-by-step tutorial which explains how to list WordPress events in a table and explores various configuration options. You’ll also learn how to include options for taking bookings for events, allowing prospective attendees to purchase event tickets, and listing recurring events from Events Calendar Pro.


Solution #3: Use WooCommerce Bookings to sell bookable events

A WordPress events plugin lists each event separately on your website. If you run the same event on multiple dates, then each date will be listed individually.

This is different from a WordPress bookings plugin, which allows you to sell multiple dates for each event. Each type of event will be listed as a separate product.

The official WooCommerce Bookings extension works seamlessly with WooCommerce, allowing you to add events as bookable products. With this solution, you’ll also be able to add multiple dates for each event, and have a separate booking calendar for each type of event.

Create your bookable products and use WooCommerce Product Table to list them on your website. The booking calendar for each bookable product will appear in the add to cart column of the product table. Attendees can choose a date and add the event to the cart, directly from the main list of events.

Bonus: Selling memberships

If you’re running a membership site, you might consider selling products or event bookings to deliver value to members, diversify your offering, or leverage upselling opportunities. You can extend all the solution discussed above to allow customers to purchase memberships along with WooCommerce products and event bookings.

There are two easy ways of implementing this sort of functionality in WordPress:

If you’re interested in implementing any of these solutions for taking bookings for events, be sure to check out the complete guide! It explains two ways to use WooCommerce to take bookings for both courses and events. You'll also find actionable tips on how to enhance your event site and improve user experience.

Conclusion

WordPress password protected events table
If your organization arranges a handful of simple events throughout the year (or even just one or two), chances are you don’t need all of the advanced functionality on offer with most of the popular event plugins out there.

Instead, you can use a WordPress event list plugin to showcase event listings in a neat and organized way. You can do this by creating a dynamic, front-end table layout. We shared three different solutions for a WordPress event list plugin along with some actionable tips on how to implement them.

Let’s quickly recap the main options available to you:

  • Posts Table Pro If you’re looking to create a simple event listing, we’d recommend using the Post Table Pro plugin. You can choose to integrate it with an all-in-one event management plugin, a calendar plugin (like The Events Calendar) or use it as a standalone plugin.
  • WooCommerce Product Table This is the ideal option for anyone who’s looking to showcase event listings in a simple, dynamic table layout. It also lets you to take bookings for events or courses. This works great for membership sites, training programs, and businesses that need to sell products along with event bookings.

Hopefully, you’re in a good position now to take the next steps.

Which one of these three options are you looking to implement? Do you have any questions on how to pick the right WordPress event list plugin for your specific needs? We’re happy to help so let us know in the comments section below!

If you use your WordPress website to sell upcoming events, you’ll need an effective way to display them. While you can use a dedicated WooCommerce events plugin, these can be complex and weigh down your site – which is the last thing you want. Keep reading to learn the pros and cons of both options, and how to set them up.

Are you looking to create an events page for your WooCommerce store but not sure where to start? Look no further! In this comprehensive guide, I'll walk you through the process of creating a dynamic and engaging events page, with or without using an events plugin.

Surprisingly, there are several ways to add events to WooCommerce. Some involve using a fully featured events plugin, and others are simpler alternatives which achieve a similar result. You can either:

Whichever method you use, you can then list your events in a searchable table to help people find them more easily. The best way to do this is by installing the WooCommerce Product Table plugin.

In this post, I'm going to tell you all about both ways to create a WooCommerce events page. I'll also show you how to list your events in a table so that more people will find and book your events.

Let's get started!

Method 1: Add an event date field to your WooCommerce products

The easiest way to convert any WooCommerce product into an event is to add a simple date field to it. The WooCommerce Product Options plugin is perfect for this because it lets you add a wide range of extra fields to your products.

You can add a date field where customers choose a date and time from a calendar. In addition, you can add lots of other event-related fields, for example to collect extra information from attendees.

WooCommerce product date picker field
A WooCommerce product with a date picker field added by the Product Options plugin

Using this method to create a WooCommerce events page is much simpler than using a dedicated events plugin. However, it's surprisingly powerful because you get everything you need to manage and sell events. For example, you can choose which dates and time slots are available. You can choose how far in advance people can book an event.

While the simple date picker field is missing some options such as setting a maximum number of attendees, it's ideal if you want a simple solution.

How to add a date field to a product

WooCommerce product add-ons date picker field
The event date field comes with lots of options for controlling your events
  1. First, create the products that you will be adding the event date field to (Products → Add New).
  2. Next, install the WooCommerce Product Options plugin.
  3. Go to Products → Product Options in the WordPress Dashboard.
  4. Create a new options group and give it a name that you will remember. Select the product(s) that you want the date field to appear on, or leave this field blank to add it to all products.
  5. Next, click 'Add Option'. Choose the 'Date' option type.
  6. Fill in all the options for your event date field.
  7. Finally, visit the product page. You will see the event date field above the add to cart button.

Now go back and add any other fields that you need for your event pages. This is an excellent way to collect information about the people who will be attending your events. You can also sell extras, such as training handbooks or lunch.

Method 2: Use a WooCommerce events plugin

As we have seen, adding date calendar fields to your event products can be surprisingly sophisticated. However, if you want extra features such as managing availability and full ticket management, then you'll need a WooCommerce events plugin.

The Events Calendar is widely regarded as the best plugin to add and manage events in WooCommerce. This is thanks to its robust features, user-friendly interface, and seamless integration with the WooCommerce platform. The plugin has been designed with both simplicity and flexibility in mind, making it suitable for both novice and advanced users. When paired with the Event Tickets add-on, you can not only create and display events but also sell tickets for those events directly through your WooCommerce store.

Features

The main features of The Events Calendar include:

  • Easy event creation: With a simple and intuitive interface, creating events becomes a breeze. Add details such as event name, date, time, location, description, and organizer information.
  • Calendar view and list view: Display your events in a visually appealing calendar view or a straightforward list view, depending on your preferences and website design. These are ok if you just have a few events, but I recommend using Events Calendar with the WooCommerce Product Table plugin for a more structured and searchable display. We'll cover this later in this article.
  • Responsive design: The Events Calendar is fully responsive, ensuring that your events page looks great on all devices, including desktop, tablet, and mobile.
  • Customizable templates: Customize the look and feel of your individual events pages using pre-built templates, or create your own with custom CSS.
  • Integration with Google Maps: Easily add location information to your events, and automatically display a Google Maps view for easy navigation.
  • Recurring events: Schedule events that occur regularly, such as weekly or monthly, without having to create each event individually.
  • Import and export functionality: Import events from other sources or export your events for use in other platforms.
  • Event Tickets add-on: This powerful add-on allows you to sell tickets for your events, manage attendees, and even offer multiple ticket types (e.g., general admission, VIP, etc.).

Using Events Calendar to create WooCommerce events

  1. Install and activate The Events Calendar plugin: Navigate to the 'Plugins' section in your WordPress dashboard. Click 'Add New', search for 'The Events Calendar', and then install and activate the plugin.
  2. Install and activate the Event Tickets add-on: Similarly, search for 'Event Tickets' in the 'Add New' plugin section, then install and activate the plugin.
  3. Now you need to purchase and install the premium version of Event Tickets. This is what adds the WooCommerce integration for selling access to your events.
  4. Configure plugin settings: Go to Events → Settings in your WordPress dashboard to configure the plugin settings, such as your preferred calendar view, timezone, currency, and more.
  5. Create an event: Click on Events → Add New to start creating your first event. Fill in the required event details, such as title, date, time, location, and description.
  6. Add tickets to your event: With the Event Tickets add-on installed, you can add tickets to your events by scrolling down to the 'Tickets' section on the event editing page. Set ticket prices, quantity, and any other relevant details. This creates a WooCommerce product, which is your 'ticket'.

As you can see, Events Calendar requires a lot more setup than simply using WooCommerce Product Options to add an event date field to your products. However, this is the best option if you need the extra features that come with a dedicated WooCommerce events plugin.

Why you need a better way to display WooCommerce events on your website

A WordPress website is a fantastic way to showcase events and gather an audience for them. You can promote them to existing customers and new visitors, provide all the information they’ll need, and let them buy tickets or make reservations online.

Whichever of the above methods you use to turn WooCommerce products into bookable events, they involve setting up a dedicated page (i.e. a product) for each event. This is the best way to add and manage events. However, it does mean that visitors will need to navigate through a lot of different pages to see all your WooCommerce events, which isn’t ideal. The default WooCommerce store layout simply isn't appropriate for selling courses or events.

The solution to this problem is to create a searchable table-based WooCommerce events page like this:

A fully-customized WooCommerce events page.

Why list events in a WooCommerce table?

There are lots of reasons why a product table is ideal for creating a WooCommerce events page:

  • You can include the essential information about each event, providing visitors with what they need to make a decision without overwhelming them with details.
  • Customers can quickly search and filter the list of events to find what they're looking for.
  • Plus, they’ll be able to make comparisons easily, choose the number of places they want to book, and even purchase tickets to several events at once.

This plugin lets you create a product table organizing all your WooCommerce events into one place. You can include whatever information you like about each event. It’s a fantastic way to peak your visitors’ interest and encourage them to sign up for more events.

How to create a WooCommerce events page

Putting together a WooCommerce events table is simple. Before you do this, make sure you have created your events using one of the methods described above. WooCommerce Product Table works with either method.

Follow the simple steps below to display your WooCommerce events effectively. The end result will look similar to our events list demo page.

Step 1: Install the WooCommerce Product Table plugin

Naturally, the first thing you’ll need to do is get your hands on WooCommerce Product Table.

When you purchase the plugin, you’ll be provided with a zip folder containing all its files. You’ll want to save this to your computer. Then, in your WordPress dashboard, click on Plugins → Add New, select Upload Plugin, and use the Choose File button to locate that zip folder:

After that, select Install Now to add the plugin to your site. When you see a link labeled Activate, click on that as well.

Next, navigate to WooCommerce → Settings → Products, and click on Product tables. 

Here, enter the license key you were given in your purchase confirmation email. This will get WooCommerce Product Table fully set up on your site.

Step 2: Create your WooCommerce events page

Now, it’s time to create the page where your WooCommerce events will be displayed. To do that, just navigate to Pages → Add New:

The next step depends on whether you're using the Classic Editor or Gutenberg:

  • Classic Editor - Click the 'Insert Product Table' toolbar button. This adds a [product_table] shortcode to the page.toolbar button
  • Gutenberg - Add the [product_table] shortcode to a 'Shortcode' block.
    WooCommerce Product Table Gutenberg Block

You’ll see a shortcode added into your page. This is a small snippet of code that tells WordPress to display a product table wherever it’s placed. It will automatically apply any settings you’ve configured as well (more on this in the next step).

For now, you can select Preview to see your WooCommerce events page in action:

A basic WooCommerce events product table.

It may look a little bare-bones right now, and some of the labels used don't quite make sense (for example, the Buy column will need to be renamed). However, don't worry! Next up, we’re going to show you how to customize your WooCommerce events list.

Step 3: Configure your WooCommerce events table

At this point, save your new WooCommerce events page as a draft. You may want to keep it open in its own tab, so you can refresh it to see the effects of the changes you’ll be applying. Then, navigate back to WooCommerce → Settings → Products → Product tables.

On this page (where you entered your license key earlier), you’ll find lots of settings that let you customize exactly how your product table looks and functions. You can check out all the options in the plugin’s documentation, and find instructions for how to configure them.

For now, let’s touch on the settings that are most important when building a WooCommerce events table. Your first stop should be the Columns option:

The WooCommerce Product Table columns setting.

Here, you can list out each column you want in included in your table. Try to strike a balance between providing all the necessary information, and not overwhelming your visitors. For an events table, we’d recommend the following columns at a minimum: image, name, summary, categories, price, and buy.

Right below that, you’ll definitely want to check the Quantity selectors box. That way, if people want to bring along friends or family to the event, they can reserve multiple places at once.

Next, check out the Add to cart button option:

The WooCommerce Product Table add-to-cart setting.

If you choose Button and checkbox, customers will be able to purchase tickets for more than one event at a time, and add everything to their cart with a single click. This is a smart way to streamline their experience.

Then, take a look at the Filter dropdowns field:

The WooCommerce Product Table filters setting.

You may want to select Show based on columns in table here. This will place one or more drop-down menus above your WooCommerce events table. Especially if you offer more than a few events, this makes your page much more user-friendly.

Finally, you may want to rename some of the labels in your events table. For instance, instead of using Buy above the final column, you could use something more events-specific, such as Book Now. To do that, scroll back up to the Columns field, add a colon after buy and then type in whatever label you'd like to use:

Renaming a label in the events table.

This same method will work for any column you want to rename. You can also change the label for the button that will appear above the table, enabling customers to 'purchase' more than one event at a time. Simply find the 'Add Selected to Cart' text field, and rename it something like Book Selected Events instead.

Change the add to cart button text

Last but not least, you can also change the text on the actual Add to Cart buttons. For that, you'll need the free WooCommerce Custom Add to Cart Button plugin:

WooCommerce Custom Add to Cart Button Plugin

Install and activate the plugin on your site, and then navigate to WooCommerce → Customize. There, select WooCommerce, and then Add to Cart Buttons. There, you can include any text you'd like to use for these buttons in your events table. Don't forget to hit the Publish button when you're done.

With that, your WooCommerce events table should be looking much more professional, and will have a lot of new features. You can check it out by reloading or re-opening the page you created earlier:

A fully-customized WooCommerce events page.

You can continue to customize your product table settings as much as you’d like. When you’re done, simply publish the WooCommerce events list page. Visitors to your site will immediately be able to use it to reserve their spot in your upcoming events!

Step 4 (optional) - Add quick view to the list of events

So far, I've shown you how to list events in WooCommerce with all the information and purchase options in a table. If you want to display extra information that won't fit neatly into a table option, then you can send customers to the single product page for each event. However, this loses momentum and makes the customer less likely to book multiple events. It's better to keep them on a single page while they're choosing their events.

The solution is to add quick view buttons to your list of events. You can do this with the WooCommerce Quick View Pro plugin, which is designed to work with WooCommerce Product Table. This adds lots of flexibility to your WooCommerce event listings. For example:

  • If you want to show multiple images from previous events, you can show the full product image gallery in a quick view lightbox. This really brings the event to life, making people more likely to book a place. There are 2 options for how to display the image gallery (thumbnails or bullet navigation).
  • Customers can buy product variations directly from the quick view popup. For example, they can choose different ticket options for each event and add them to the cart.
  • You can show extra information such as the event short description and price.

What types of event can I sell in WooCommerce?

The fantastic thing about this method is that you can use it to sell literally any type of events. For example:

  • Live in-person events Admissions tickets, live music or comedy events, charity events, concerts, conferences, dating events, festivals, meet-ups, performances
  • Online events Livestreams, live coaching, online conferences, webinars.
  • Courses Bootcamps, classes, crash courses, test preparation or interview training, training courses, webinars.

Now let’s see what a lightweight list of WooCommerce events looks like in action.

Case study: Using WooCommerce to sell event tickets

To get a taste for what you can accomplish using the WooCommerce Product Table plugin, you can check out the website Weave The Ring:

Another events page on the Weave the Ring website.

Here, you’ll find a well-designed WooCommerce events product table. Each event is listed on its own row, along with key details such as its description, category, price, and even a featured image.

Customers can scroll through the table to see all the events on offer, or use the filter at the top to sort the table by a specific category. This helps them find what they’re looking for more quickly. They can also click on each event’s title to visit its dedicated page, in case they want more information.

When a visitor knows what event they want to see, they can use the quantity selector to choose how many people will be attending. Then, they can click on the handy Add to cart button to make their purchase. If they’re interested in multiple events, they can even select everything at once using the checkboxes under the Buy column, then use the Add Selected to Cart button at the top of the table.

You may want to visit this site yourself, in order to try out the table and get a better sense for its functionality. Then, come back here to learn how to create your own WooCommerce events page!

Case study - Selling WooCommerce events imported from Moodle

WooCommerce events table list with Moodle integration

Tallahassee Christian College and Training Center use WooCommerce to register for their higher education and training courses. They use the free Edwiser Bridge plugin to integrate their WordPress WooCommerce website with Moodle, automatically importing their courses as WooCommerce products.

They use WooCommerce Product Table to list the courses in a table layout. Students can quickly filter the table by category or tag, and click through to the single product page to register.

Bonus: How to sell entry tickets in WooCommerce

WooCommerce sell entry tickets

You can use the techniques discussed in this tutorial to sell entry tickets to a range of locations including museums, art galleries, tourist attractions, or events. Again, you only need WooCommerce and WooCommerce Product Table, and don't need an events plugin.

Simply add each type of entrance ticket as a product (with variations, if required) and list them using WooCommerce Product Table. Activate user-friendly features such as add to cart checkboxes so that visitors can select multiple ticket types and add them to the cart together. For example, a parent might select 2 child tickets and 2 adult tickets before purchasing them all together.

Bonus: Set the default ticket quantity to zero

WooCommerce Default Quantity Plugin

In WooCommerce, the default quantity for buying products is always 1. This applies to any type of products, including events and entrance tickets. However, a default quantity of 0 is actually more appropriate when selling tickets, seats for theatre shows, or places on courses or events.

You can easily change the default quantity to zero by installing the WooCommerce Default Quantity plugin. That way, shoppers can change the required quantity for each ticket to any number they choose before adding them to the cart.

Where to get the plugins

In conclusion, creating a dynamic and engaging events page for your WooCommerce store doesn't have to be a daunting task. This guide has outlined two primary methods to achieve this goal:

To further enhance your events page, you can use the WooCommerce Product Table plugin for a searchable and user-friendly event listing experience.

By carefully considering the pros and cons of each option and assessing your specific needs, you can make an informed decision that best suits your website. Whichever method you choose, remember that the ultimate goal is to create an events page that is both visually appealing and functional. It must make it easy for your customers to discover and book your events. With the right tools and strategies, your WooCommerce events page can become a valuable asset for promoting your upcoming events and driving sales.

Do you have any questions about how to set up the perfect WooCommerce events page? Ask away in the comments section below!

Before we switched to selling plugins, clients often asked us to build a WordPress e-commerce website with a WooCommerce online shop AND bookings for courses or other events.

There are lots of reasons for wanting this sort of WooCommerce events website. Your company may organise events and also sell products or equipment relating to these events. You may be a training company who sells courses directly as well as gift vouchers which can be redeemed against your courses. You may be a membership website for a specific industry, selling WooCommerce products and events to support your members.

With millions of websites using WooCommerce according to the latest usage stats, plenty of websites fall into all these categories.

I'm going to tell you about three of the best WooCommerce event and booking products, with advice on how to choose the best one for your specific requirements.

How to use WooCommerce for course & event bookings

A lot of WordPress web designers meet the above requirements by installing two standalone plugins - WooCommerce for selling products, and an events management or booking plugin for selling courses/events. We've had lots of clients whose WordPress events websites work in this way.

The downside is that your users have to buy products and pay for them in a completely separate process from booking events. For example, we saw one website used WooCommerce to sell products and Events Manager Pro to sell events. Customers would use the WooCommerce shopping cart and checkout to buy products. They would then have to book each event individually by completing a booking form and clicking a PayPal button. This created a disjointed experience for customers. It also missed out on opportunities for increasing sales by cross-promoting products and events.

I will show you three ways to design a WordPress e-commerce website that sells products and courses/events using WooCommerce. Both methods use the standard WooCommerce cart and checkout, allowing customers to add products AND book a course/event at the same time. Your customers can pay for products and events in a single transaction. This creates a seamless experience that maximizes your sales.

Each of these methods use WooCommerce, as this is the best WordPress e-commerce plugin and has all the features that most websites need. It also has plenty of extensions and other plugins to meet more unusual requirements. And surprisingly it's free, too!

WooCommerce is clearly the best option for the e-commerce side of your website. This means that your main decision is how to extend WooCommerce to take bookings for courses or events in a single checkout process. Which option to choose depends on how you organize your events.

Method 1 - A WooCommerce product with a date picker (the easy option)

Add date picker to WooCommerce product for training course product

Let's start with the simplest option which will only take you a minute to set up.

The plugins that I'm going to feature in Methods 2 and 3 are designed specifically for selling events in WooCommerce. In contrast the plugin in Method 1 is something different - a product add-ons plugin!

The WooCommerce Product Options plugin lets you add a wide range of extra options to any product. You can add a date picker field to any product, and optionally enable a time picker. It also lets you add a range of additional options to your WooCommerce events, such as choosing a ticket type or lunch options.

If you have simple requirements (and limited time) then WooCommerce Product Options is an excellent way to set up WooCommerce events. That's because purpose-built events plugins tend to be very complex. They can be difficult to set up and customize. With WooCommerce Product Options, you simply add a date picker field to your existing products.

Your customers can easily choose a date and time slot for the event they want to book. You can even disable past dates in the calendar, specific dates or days of the week, and block dates when the event isn't running. That way, you can ensure that customers only book for available dates and times.

If you're looking for a simple and easy way to take event bookings in WooCommerce, then the Product Options plugin with a date picker field is the perfect solution.

Method 2 - WooCommerce with Events Calendar and WooCommerce Event Tickets Plus

The Events Calendar (free), Event Tickets (free) and Event Tickets (paid-for) are designed to work together alongside WooCommerce. The Events Calendar allows you to add events to your website. Event Tickets lets people register for your free events. By combining them with Event Tickets Plus and WooCommerce, you can sell places on your events using the WooCommerce shopping cart. This lets you create a fully functional WooCommerce online store with event bookings.

If you need a more fully-featured events management system then upgrade to Events Calendar Pro, the paid version. This has various extra features, for example calendars that you can display in the sidebar throughout the website to promote your events.

Pros - The Events Calendar/Event Tickets/Event Tickets Plus are created by StellarWP, a reputable WordPress company. The events plugins provide a wide range of features. It lists upcoming events (which can be filtered by category etc.). There are calendars showing the dates of your upcoming events. It really is a complete event management system. They are designed to work with WooCommerce and are fully tested with it.

Cons - To create a course or event using this method, you have to add each date as a separate event. This creates some extra work for you. For example, if you run the same event on multiple dates then you have to add it separately for each date. If you take our online course on how to create a website using these plugins then I'll provide some tips on how to create your events more quickly.

Method 3 - WooCommerce with WooCommerce Bookings

WooCommerce Bookings is a paid plugin that works alongside WooCommerce. It lets you add each event as a bookable WooCommerce product. You can add multiple dates for each event. Customers can add products or events (i.e. bookable products) to their cart and pay for everything in a single transaction.

Pros - This method makes it easier  to create and maintain events because you only have to create each course once, and can assign multiple dates to each event. Both plugins are owned by Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com. This means that the plugins are fully tested together and you're not taking on the risks that come from combining plugins by third parties.

Cons - There's no built-in option to display all your upcoming events on a single calendar. Each individual event has a calendar showing the available dates, but there is no overarching calendar showing all your events together. Instead, you can list the course names and customers have to click on a course to view the available dates.

Can I create a calendar of all my events with WooCommerce Bookings?

As I said, the plugin doesn't have a built-in option for this. If you need a central calendar then there are options for you:

  • Use method 1 instead (i.e. WooCommerce with Events Calendar plugin), or;
  • Use Google Calendar integration to show all your bookable events on a Google Calendar, embedded on your website. This won't look as integrated/professional as the Events Calendar plugin's central calendar, but it is a way to show all events with WooCommerce Bookings.

The exact features of your event bookings will depend on whether you use method 1 or 2. Both can be implemented in a way that allows your customers to choose a date, book a course and pay via PayPal or another payment method such as Stripe. (Or you can continue taking manual payments, if you prefer). Customers will be able to purchase gift vouchers and courses in a single checkout process, creating a seamless user experience.

Expert tip #1 - Sell membership at the same time!

A lot of WordPress membership websites sell products and/or events. If you want your customers to be able to purchase membership at the same time as products and events then this is possible too!

To achieve this, there are 2 great options:

  1. Combine the free Groups plugin with Groups for WooCommerce. This allows you to create a 'Membership' product (or more than one, if you want different membership levels). Customers can buy membership in the same way as other products and events.
  2. Use the WooCommerce Memberships plugin. This is very similar to Groups with some subtle differences. Check out this comparison table from WooCommerce to decide which is best for your WooCommerce membership site.

Once a customer has purchased your 'membership' product, you can create members-only pages on your site. You can restrict these to the relevant membership group or membership level.

And if you're being really clever, you can use the Dynamic Pricing plugin to give discounts to your members! Create different discounts for products in each category, discounts for individual products - the sky's the limit!

Note: These membership plugins are compatible with either of the above methods for creating a WooCommerce event bookings site.

Expert tip #2 - Create a table of events with WooCommerce Product Table

 

WordPress password protected events table

Whichever WooCommerce events plugin you use, you can improve how your events are displayed by listing them in a product table. To do this, just install the WooCommerce Product Table plugin and use it to list your event products.

This is particularly useful if you have large numbers of events and want to provide a more detailed database of upcoming events. It's great for sites with lots of events as customers can use the search box, sortable columns and filtering options to find events by category, tag, etc.

Choosing the right theme for your WooCommerce events website

For a professional website, it's important to make sure WooCommerce and the event plugins match the rest of your website.

You can achieve this by choosing a WooCommerce-ready WordPress theme. Its shop pages will be pre-styled to match the theme, helping to reduce your costs.

It's harder to find a theme that contains styling for events plugins. These tips will help you find a theme that looks great with The Events Calendar plugins:

  • Storefront is the official WooCommerce theme. It's lightweight, easy to set up and will work with events and booking plugins. The main Storefront theme is free and if you don't like the design, you can use it with a free or paid child theme.
  • Avada and Enfold are popular themes designed to work with WooCommerce and The Events Calendar plugins. They're hugely flexible and can adapt to work with most brands and colour schemes, without needing to write any code - so check these out first.
  • To find other themes designed to work with WooCommerce and The Events Calendar plugins, go to the WordPress section of ThemeForest. Scroll down and find the 'Compatible with' section in the left column. Select 'WooCommerce' and 'Events Calendar' to find themes that work with your plugins.

If your theme hasn't been tested with these plugins, you might need to do some custom styling to make the WooCommerce and event pages look good.

Take our online course on WooCommerce Course & Event Booking Plugins!

WooCommerce Event Booking Online Course

This article is one of the most popular on our site. It has helped many people to create a course or event booking website with WooCommerce.

We have now created an online course to take you through the whole process of building an events site with WooCommerce.

The course focusses on using The Events Calendar suite of plugins with WooCommerce. You'll learn how to create a fully functional events site.

In the course, I'll talk you through the different plugins to help you choose the right combination for your site. I'll teach you how to set up each plugin and get the most from them. Along the way, I'll provide lots of advice and tips on how to maximise the income from your WooCommerce events site. And finally, I'll show you how to test your website, fix any problems and where to get support. I'll even share the famous Barn2 Media go-live checklist with you.

What is the best WooCommerce events plugin?

In conclusion, WooCommerce provides several options for taking bookings for events, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.

If you want a simple and easy-to-use solution, the WooCommerce Product Options plugin with a date picker field is an excellent choice. This plugin allows you to add a date picker field to any WooCommerce product, and you can customize the field with various options to suit your needs. It's an ideal solution for businesses that want to take bookings for events without the need for advanced features.

On the other hand, if you need a dedicated event calendar with advanced features, the Events Calendar plugin is a great option. It provides a complete calendar system for your website, allowing you to create and manage events with ease. This plugin is perfect for businesses that want to create a comprehensive event calendar with ticketing and registration features.

Finally, if you need a powerful booking system with advanced features like resource management, scheduling, and appointment reminders, the WooCommerce Bookings plugin is the way to go. It provides a robust and reliable solution for businesses that need a complete booking system.

In summary, here are the three plugins discussed in this article and when to use them:

WordPress events table plugin list

WordPress calendar plugins such as The Events Calendar are fantastic. But what if you're not happy with the built-in event layouts? This tutorial will show you a  straightforward way of creating a searchable events table to list your upcoming events.

In this guide, we will be focusing on the Events Calendar plugins suite. This includes Event Calendar Pro, Event Tickets Plus, and other related plugins. However, the method we'll be discussing here can be used to create a table of events for any WordPress events plugin available. Using the WordPress plugin for event management is a great way to efficiently organize and promote various types of events.

Having all event information in one place makes it easy for event planners to manage registrations, and monitor ticket sales. This can lead to increased attendance and revenues. As well as improved brand image and customer satisfaction.

Watch the video to learn how. You can also keep reading for full written instructions on how to create a table of events in WordPress.

Why use the Events Calendar plugin for WordPress?

The Events Calendar plugin is a popular choice for managing events on a WordPress website for several reasons. The Events Calendar plugin has a user-friendly interface that allows users to create and manage events with ease. Additionally, it offers various customization options, enabling users to customize the appearance and functionality of the calendar to meet their specific needs.

Additionally, the plugin offers advanced features such as ticketing, RSVP tracking, and recurring events in WordPress. The plugin is well-supported and regularly updated. Making sure that it remains compatible with the latest versions of WordPress and other plugins.

The importance of event management for businesses and organizations

Event management plays a critical role in the success of businesses and organizations. Events provide a platform for your business to showcase your products or services and create brand awareness. For organizations, events are a great way to raise awareness about your cause and raise funds.

Effective event management can help businesses and organizations achieve their goals. It also increases visibility and credibility. It also builds lasting relationships with your target audience.

Using event management tools such as The Events Calendar plugin for WordPress can help your business streamline event planning. As well as improve your overall event experience.

Different options for creating a new event

The Event Calendar plug offers several options for creating a new event on your WordPress website. These options allow you to customize your event to meet the needs of your audience. Here are some of the different ways you can create a new event using The Events Calendar plugin:

  1. Add Event button: The most basic way to create a new event is to click on the "Add Event" button. This will take you to a new page where you can enter the details of your event.
  2. Quick event creation: You can use the "Quick Event" feature to create an event in just a few seconds. This feature is especially useful if you need to create an event on the go.
  3. Recurring events: Use the recurring event feature to set it up once and have it repeat automatically.
  4. Importing events: You can also import events listed in another application into The Events Calendar plugin. This saves you time and effort by allowing you to bring all of your events into one place.
  5. Front-end event submission: You can allow visitors to submit events to your website by enabling front-end submission. They can fill out a form and submit their event directly to your site.

How to add event details such as title, date, time, location, and description

To add event details using The Events Calendar plugin, follow these steps:

  1. Install and activate The Events Calendar plugin from the WordPress plugin repository.
  2. Go to the WordPress dashboard and navigate to the Events → Add New Event page.
  3. In the event editor screen, you will see fields to add the event details, including:
    • Title: Enter the title of the event in the "Event Title" field.
    • Date and Time: Select the date and time of the event from the "Start" and "End" fields.
    • Location: Enter the location of the event in the "Venue" and "Address" fields. You can also use the "Google Maps" field to add a map to the event.
    • Description: Enter the description of the event in the editor field.
  4. You can also add additional event details, such as event categories, tags, and featured images. As well as organizer details, and ticket details using the options available in the event editor screen.
  5. Click on the "Publish" button to publish the event on your website.
  6. You can view the event on your website by navigating to the Events page. You can also view it by adding a shortcode to a page or post. To add a shortcode, use the [tribe_events] shortcode and customize it with the necessary options.

That's it! You have successfully added an event using The Events Calendar plugin with all the necessary details.

How to add images, videos, and other media to events using The Events Calendar plugin

To add images, videos, and other media to events, using The Events Calendar plugin, follow these steps:

  1. In the event editor screen, scroll down to the "Event Image" section.
  2. Click on the "Set event image" button to upload an image from your computer, or choose an image from the media library.
  3. Once you have selected an image, you can customize the image settings, such as the image size and alignment.
  4. To add a video to the vent, you can use the "Embed video" field in the event editor screen. Paste the video embed code from a supported video hosting platform (such as YouTube or Vimeo) into the field and click the "save" button.
  5. You can also add other media to the event description by clicking on the"Add media" button in the editor field. From here, you can upload and insert images, audio files, and other media.
  6. You can use the "gallery" block in the editor field to display a gallery of images. Add the images you want to display and customize the gallery settings as needed.
  7. Publish the event on your website by clicking the "Publish" button after adding all the required media.

How to add event categories and tags

To add event categories and tags using The Events Calendar plugin, follow these steps:

  1. In the event editor screen, scroll down to the "Event Categories" section.
  2. Click on the "Add New Category" button to create a new category, or select an existing category from the dropdown menu.
  3. Enter a name for the category and a description if desired, and click the "Add New Category" button to save.
  4. To add tags to the event, scroll down to the "Event Tags" section.
  5. Click on the "Add New Tag" button to create a new tag, or select an existing tag from the dropdown menu.
  6. Enter a name for the tag and click the "Add New Tag" button to save.
  7. You can also assign multiple categories and tags to the event by selecting them from the dropdown menus. You can also do this by entering them manually in the respective fields.
  8. Publish the event on your website by clicking on the "Publish" button after adding all the required categories and tags.

How to set up recurring events and multi-day events using The Events Calendar plugin

If you're using The Events Calendar plugin for your WordPress site, you can easily set up recurring events and multi-day events to save time and effort. However, this useful feature is only available as part of the premium Events Calendar Pro add-on. With this add-on, you can create a wide range of events, from daily or weekly meetings to conferences or festivals that span multiple days.

To set up recurring events and multi-day events using The Events Calendar plugin, follow these steps:

  1. In the event editor screen, navigate to the "Event Schedule" section.
  2. To set up a recurring event, click on the "Add New Schedule" button.
  3. Select the "Custom Schedule" option and choose the start and end dates for the recurring event.
  4. Choose the recurrence pattern for the event, such as daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly. You can also set the event to recur on specific days of the week, or on certain dates of the month.
  5. Set the start and end times for each occurrence of the event. You can also choose to have the times be the same for every occurrence.
  6. You can also set an end date for the recurring event, or choose to have it recur indefinitely.
  7. To set up a multi-day event, enter the start and end dates in the "Start" and "End" fields in the "Event Details" section.
  8. You can also add a schedule for the event by clicking on the "Add New Schedule" button in the "Event Schedule" section. Enter the start and end times for each day of the event, or choose to have the times be the same for every day.
  9. Once you have set up the recurring or multi-day event, add all the necessary event details, such as title, location, and description, as well as any images or media.
  10. Finally, click on the "Publish" button to publish the event on your website.

How to view, edit, and delete existing events in The Events Calendar plugin

To view, edit, and delete existing events in The Events Calendar plugin, follow these steps:

  1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
  2. Click on "Events" in the left-hand menu to view the list of all events created using The Events Calendar plugin.
  3. To view an event, click on its title in the list.
  4. To edit an event, hover over its title in the list and click on "Edit."
  5. Make the necessary changes to the event details, such as title, date, time, location, and description.
  6. To delete an event, hover over its title in the list and click on "Trash."
  7. To permanently delete an event, click on the "Trash" link at the top of the events list. Then click on "Empty Trash."
  8. You can also restore a deleted event by clicking on the "Trash" link. Hover over the event's title, and click on "Restore."

How to manage event attendees and RSVPs in The Events Calendar plugin

The Events Calendar plugin offers several options for managing event attendees and RSVPs. Here are the steps to manage event attendees and RSVPs in The Events Calendar plugin:

  1. Make sure that you have enabled the RSVP feature for your events. Go to "Events" > "Settings" > "Tickets" and check the "Enable RSVPs" checkbox.
  2. To view the list of attendees for an event, go to the event editor screen and click on the "Attendees" tab. Here, you can see a list of all the people who have RSVP'd to the event.
  3. You can add a new attendee to the event by clicking on the "Add Attendee" button.
  4. To edit an attendee's details, click on their name in the list and make the necessary changes.
  5. You can delete an attendee from the list by clicking on their name and then clicking on the "Remove Attendee" button.
  6. You can also export the attendee list to a CSV file by clicking on the "Export CSV" button.
  7. To manage RSVPs for the event, go to the event editor screen and click on the "RSVPs" tab. Here, you can see a list of all the people who have RSVP'd to the event and their RSVP status.
  8. To change an attendee's RSVP status, click on their name in the list and select the new status from the dropdown menu.
  9. You can also send email reminders to attendees who have RSVP'd to the event by clicking on the "Email" button.

Can you export events to other calendars or platforms in The Events Calendar plugin?

The Events Calendar plugin provides a convenient way to export your events to other platforms like Google calendar. This is done through the use of the iCalendar format. This is also known as .ics. This standard format enables the easy sharing of calendar data across various platforms.

To export events to other calendars or platforms using The Events Calendar plugin, follow these steps:

  1. Go to the WordPress dashboard and click on "Events" in the left-hand menu.
  2. Select the event you want to export.
  3. Click on the "Export Event" button.
  4. Choose the iCalendar format (.ics) from the dropdown menu.
  5. Click on the "Export" button.
  6. The file will be downloaded to your computer as an .ics file.
  7. Import the .ics file into your desired calendar or platform. The process for importing varies depending on the platform you're using. But typically involves navigating to the import function and selecting the .ics file from your computer.

How to use add-ons to extend the functionality of the plugin

Here are the steps to use add-ons in The Events Calendar plugin:

  1. Go to the WordPress dashboard and click on "Plugins" in the left-hand menu.
  2. Click on the "Add New" button at the top of the page.
  3. Search for "The Events Calendar" in the search bar.
  4. Click on "Install Now" next to The Events Calendar plugin.
  5. Once the plugin is installed and activated, go to "Events" in the left-hand menu.
  6. Click on "Add-Ons" to see a list of available add-ons.
  7. Click on "Install" next to the add-on you want to use.
  8. Once the add-on is installed and activated, you can start using its features in The Events Calendar plugin.
  9. Depending on the add-on, you may need to configure its settings. This can usually be done in the plugin's settings or in the event editor screen.
  10. Some add-ons may require a separate purchase or subscription to use. Make sure to check the details of the add-on before installing it.

Repeat these steps to install and activate any additional add-ons you want to use. Each add-on will add new features and functionality to the plugin. This will allow you to customize it to your specific event management needs.

Advanced features of The Events Calendar plugin, such as ticketing, ticket sales, and seating charts

The Events Calendar plugin is a powerful tool for managing events in WordPress that offer many advanced features. These features can help you streamline your workflows. As well as create a seamless experience for attendees.

One of the most useful advanced features of The Events Calendar plugin is ticketing. The plugin allows event organizers to sell tickets to their events using the Ticketing add-on. This feature enables event organizers to set different ticket types and pricing. As well as availability dates, as well as limit the number of tickets sold, and track sales data in real-time. The plugin also offers various ticket sales options, including PayPal, Stripe, and WooCommerce. Also, there's the ability to create discount codes and coupons to incentivize ticket sales.

Other advanced features of The Events Calendar plugin

  • Seating charts: The Events Calendar plugin offers a Seating Chart add-on that allows you to create custom seating charts for your events. You can set different seating sections, seat types, and pricing. Attendees can select their seats during the ticket purchase process.
  • Event submissions: The Events Calendar plugin offers a Community Events add-on that allows users to submit their own events to your calendar. You can review and approve these events before they are published.
  • RSVP tracking: The Events Calendar plugin allows you to track RSVPs and manage attendee lists for your events. You can set attendance limits, and collect attendee information. Also, send email reminders.

Tips and best practices for effectively managing events using The Events Calendar plugin

  1. Start planning your events well in advance: Set up the events in The Events Calendar plugin. This will give you plenty of time to promote the event and sell tickets.
  2. Use clear and concise event titles: This will help attendees quickly understand what the event is about.
  3. Use categories and tags:  Tags and categories help organize your events and make it easier for attendees to find events they are interested in.
  4. Add all event details: Include the date, time, location, description, and any other important information.
  5. Use images and videos: Use high-quality images and videos to promote your event and give attendees a better idea of what to expect.
  6. Set up RSVPs and ticketing: The RSVP and ticketing features help manage attendance and sell tickets to your event.
  7. Utilize add-ons: Add other features like ticket sales, seating charts, and event submissions.
  8. Test the event page: Make sure to test the event page to ensure that everything is working correctly.
  9. Promote the event: Use social media, email marketing, and other promotional channels to promote your event and drive attendance.
  10. Monitor attendance and make adjustments: Keep an eye on attendance and make adjustments as needed to ensure that your event is successful.

How to optimize events for search engines and social media

Here are some tips for optimizing events for search engines and social media:

  1. Use descriptive and keyword-rich event titles: Use descriptive and keyword-rich event titles that accurately describe the event and include relevant keywords. This will help search engines and social media platforms understand what the event is about and make it more discoverable.
  2. Use clear and concise event descriptions: Use clear and concise event descriptions that provide all the necessary information about the event. This includes the date, time, location, and any other important details. This will make it easier for search engines and social media platforms to understand the event and display it in search results or on social media feeds.
  3. Add images and videos: Add high-quality images and videos to your event page to make it more engaging and shareable on social media.
  4. Use structured data markup: Use structured data markup to provide search engines with more information about your event, including the date, time, location, and other important details. This will help search engines display rich snippets of your event in search results.
  5. Optimize event URLs: Optimize event URLs by using descriptive and keyword-rich URLs that accurately reflect the event title and content.
  6. Share the event on social media: Share your event on social media and encourage others to share it as well. This will help increase visibility and drive traffic to your event page.
  7. Use hashtags: Use relevant hashtags when sharing your event on social media to make it more discoverable and increase engagement.
  8. Monitor analytics: Monitor analytics to see how your event page is performing in search results and on social media. Use this information to make adjustments and optimize your event page for better performance.

The limitations of default event layouts

Default event layouts on a WordPress website can be limited in terms of design and functionality. However, by using The Events Calendar or Events Calendar Pro plugins, users can easily enhance the look and functionality of their event displays. These plugins are popular among WordPress users and allow for the display of basic events as well as online bookings with the use of additional plugins.

The Events Calendar offers a range of views for existing and new events, as well as event management. Users can choose from basic list views to a simple calendar view. Events Calendar Pro takes things a step further by providing additional views such as a map view, giving users even more options to display their events in a visually appealing and informative way.

By using The Events Calendar or Events Calendar Pro plugins, you can elevate the functionality and appearance of the event displays on your WordPress website.

What if you have many events and want a more concise display? Or need more search options and filters for attendees to find your events easily?

By default, event calendars in WordPress can take up a lot of space and may not be suitable for displaying a comprehensive directory or database of events. While it's possible to create a custom template or modify one of the default views, this requires coding skills that may not be feasible for everyone.

Fortunately, there is a solution to this issue: displaying events in a table view. This provides a compact and organized way to showcase multiple events on a single page while allowing users to quickly browse and search through the information. Additionally, a table view allows for greater customization options, such as sorting and filtering based on event categories, tags, dates, and more.

By using a plugin with this functionality, users can easily display their events in a clear and concise format that is both functional and visually appealing.

The easy way to list events in a table view

WordPress events list

In this tutorial, we will also explore how to display events using the Posts Table Pro plugin, a versatile tool that allows for an interactive list or table view of your events. This approach complements the functionalities offered by the Events Calendar Pro plugin, which provides a range of features to manage your events effectively.

By implementing Posts Table Pro, you can showcase your events in a more comprehensive and organized manner, providing visitors with an intuitive interface to search, filter and sort through the listings. Furthermore, the plugin is highly customizable and can be tailored to match the overall aesthetics and design of your website.

It is essential to note that this tutorial will focus solely on events created with Events Calendar or Events Calendar Pro, and the techniques might not apply to other event management plugins such as Event Espresso or Events Manager. However, we will also offer tips on creating a table using these plugins, ensuring that you can use this tutorial as a comprehensive guide to optimizing your events listings.

Dianna uses Posts Table Pro to display her events in a customized table:

Exactly what I was looking for
Posts Table Pro was the perfect solution in displaying our events in table view. Our previous table view display did not allow much customization when it came to our columns and filters. With Posts Table Pro, we've been able to fully customize our columns and filters and can now provide our customer base a better experience when they're searching for their events. Another highlight about the plugin is the company that created it. Barn 2 Media was always quick to respond if I ever had a question or needed to better understand how to set something up. If you're considering this plugin, I highly recommend it!

Why display events in a table?

WordPress events tableFor websites with a large number of events, the default event views provided by the Events Calendar plugin may not be enough. In such cases, it is better to display events in a more tabular, grid-based format. By listing events in a table, users can view a large number of events on a single screen, making it easier for them to find the events they are interested in.

Using a table format, users can sort events by clicking on a column header or category. They can also perform a keyword search using the search box, which is not possible using the default Events Calendar views. This feature is particularly useful for websites with a large number of events.

Plugins that list events in a calendar or date-based layout can be limiting. That's why displaying events in a table format using plugins such as Posts Table Pro can be a better option. This allows users to see a comprehensive list of events, sort and filter them, and search for specific events using keywords.

Exploring the single event page in The Events Calendar plugin

After finding an event you are interested in, you can easily navigate to the single event page provided by the Events Calendar plugin through the table. This page offers a comprehensive overview of the event, including its date, time, location, and any other relevant details. It also provides an opportunity for users to book the event or perform other actions such as adding it to their calendar or sharing it on social media.

By clicking on the event in the table, users are taken to the single event page, which is optimized for conversion. This page can be customized to include additional information or features such as a call-to-action button or related events.

What types of events can I list in a table?

The good news is that you can use this method to list absolutely any type of event. It might be:

  • In-person events: These are admissions tickets, live events, charity auctions, concerts, conferences, festivals and carnivals, live performances, meet-ups, presentations, and speed dating events.
  • Online events: These include conference calls, live coaching, and webinars.
  • Training courses: Examples are boot camps, classes, crash courses or in-depth training, formal training, and certified courses.

Keep reading to discover a real-life website that lists events in a table. Then learn how to do the same on your own site!

See The Events Calendar plugin in action: Two case studies

Looking for inspiration on how to use The Events Calendar plugin for WordPress? Check out these two case studies that showcase how the plugin can be used for different purposes and in different industries. From cooking events to training courses, these examples demonstrate how the plugin's versatility can help you create a tailored event management system

Case study #1 - Cooking events calendar plugin on The Kitchen

The Kitchen at Middleground Farms hosts cooking events in Oregon, USA. Each event is added to WordPress with the Events Calendar plugin. As the default layouts available weren’t quite right for the site, they decided to combine the WordPress events plugins with Posts Table Pro. Customers can now quickly find an event and book themselves on it using the interactive table.

The Kitchen’s list of events includes a short description, prices, and dates. Users can sort the list by date, price, or course name, or use the search function. Clicking on a course name takes customers to a new page (provided by Events Calendar and Event Tickets Plus), where they can book and make their payments.

Case study #2 - Listing training courses for AgileSparks

AgileSparks are a technology training company. They followed the steps in this tutorial to list training courses using Posts Table Pro with Events Calendar, WooCommerce, and Event Tickets Plus.

It's easy to find a course using the instant AJAX search box and the multiple filters above the table. You can then click through to learn more about each course and make a booking with a straightforward booking form.

AgileSparks were delighted with the result:

Great plugin with responsive and helpful support
I've been struggling with an effective way to list our upcoming agile training classes - we have dozens of them scheduled worldwide at any point of time. I found Posts Table Pro and it was exactly what I was looking for. I feel the view it provides and the ability to filter/search for specific events according to your needs is great. I had some questions and issues while integrating it to my instance of Tribe Events Calendar and Katie and the team were very helpful, including on the weekend. We were up and running with full functionality within a day or two. Impressive, especially considering the type of support you get used to in the WordPress plugin world. I also appreciate the depth of their blog content btw. That's how I found them in the first place.

How to list WordPress events in a table

Once you've got all your events set up, it's time to add a list view for them in a table.

You'll need the Posts Table Pro plugin for this, which you can buy here.

You can add your event calendar plugin table on any page on your website. You might also even want to create multiple tables. For example, one for each of your event categories. Or use Posts Table Pro to provide an events database on top of viewing options already provided by the WordPress Events Calendar plugin. You might even want to use it to replace those default views. Think about the best structure for your website as it is highly flexible.

1. Create a table listing all your upcoming events

Upon completing your purchase of Posts Table Pro, you'll be sent a confirmation email that includes both a download link and a license key. If you don't receive the email, you can submit a support request. To download the plugin, simply follow the link provided in the email and save the zip file to your computer.

Next, go to your WordPress admin and select Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin. Choose the zip file you just downloaded, upload it, and activate the plugin. From there, the setup wizard will guide you through the process of creating your first table, providing step-by-step instructions.

WordPress events table list plugin with upcoming events

2. Customize your table

Follow these steps to create a customized table for your events.

  1. Begin by giving your table a name and selecting the post type you wish to display.
  2. Select the posts or pages you would like to include in the table. You can select from posts, pages, and custom post types.
  3. Customize your table to suit your preferences. You can determine which columns to display and in what order. For your table, you can add a column for the event name, description, start and end date, category, website, and event price. To add a new column, choose the column type from the dropdown menu and click "Add".
  4. You can add as many filters as you like. For your table, you can add categories and tags as filters.
  5. Customize the sorting options for your table by choosing the default sorting option and the sort direction. This allows you to control the order in which the table is displayed to your users.
  6. Enable lazy loading to improve the table's performance, even when containing hundreds or thousands of items.
  7. Lastly, choose how to sort your database. You can set the default sorting option and the sort direction

This is how your table will look like:

WordPress events table list plugin

3. Display your table

After completing the creation of your table with the Post Table Pro plugin, the setup wizard will confirm your progress and guide you on how to display the table on your WordPress website. You can choose between two options for displaying the table:

  • Using the 'Post Table' block in the Gutenberg editor, or
  • Copy the shortcode generated by the plugin and paste it into any page of your website. This allows you to place the table on any page, regardless of its content and gives you the flexibility to design your website according to your preferences.

By default, Posts Table Pro will list all published events in the table, regardless of their date. We have provided a code snippet which you can use to only list upcoming events and hide past events.

Can I include the 'Book' or 'Buy' buttons in the table of events?

The Events Calendar plugin has 2 sister plugins that let you extend it to take bookings for events. The Event Tickets and Event Tickets Plus add-ons work together to allow people to buy tickets for your events using WooCommerce and pay online. WooCommerce is the no. 1 e-commerce plugin and provides the e-commerce features such as a cart, checkout, and payment gateways.

Used together, these plugins create 'tickets' for each event, which people can buy in order to book a place. Each ticket is linked to the Events Calendar event and is basically a WooCommerce product.

The difficulty in including the 'Buy' to 'Add to Cart' buttons in your events table is that the table lists events, but you don't buy an event - you buy a ticket! The two are linked behind the scenes, but not in a way that lets you display add-to-cart buttons in the table of events. Here are two workarounds to get around this:

Option 1 - List tickets using WooCommerce Product Table instead

If you want to include add-to-cart buttons in the table, then the only option is to use our WooCommerce Product Table plugin instead of Posts Table Pro. The two plugins are very similar, but the dedicated WooCommerce version supports more WooCommerce features such as add-to-cart buttons.

Instead of using our Posts Table Pro plugin to list events in a table (as described in the rest of this tutorial), you would do something similar using WooCommerce Product Table to create a table of event tickets. This can include add-to-cart buttons, as you can see in the screenshot:

WooCommerce Table of Event Tickets

The tickets can be listed in the table with the product name, price, and add to cart button.

You can also include the number of available places by adding a 'stock' column to the table. However, the table won't display other fields from the event such as the event date. To get around this, you can add the date to the ticket name when you create the ticket. You can see this in action in the screenshot above.

Note: The Events Tickets Plus plugin sets ticket products to 'hidden' by default. This will also hide them from the product table. If you want to list tickets directly in the product table, then you must go to the 'Edit Product' screen for the ticket and change the visibility so that it appears in the table. You'll find the visibility option in the 'Publish' section at the top right of the page.

Option 2 - Workaround for showing Buy buttons using Posts Table Pro

If you really want to use Posts Table Pro to list events, instead of switching to WooCommerce Product Table, then there is a workaround.

Because your events can't be purchased directly in The Events Calendar - you need tickets for this - there's no way to dynamically list the 'Add to cart' buttons in the events table. However, you can achieve this with a bit of extra work.

You can add the Buy buttons to the table of events by manually adding these directly to your events. You would still use the Event Tickets Plus extension to create your tickets, but you would need to create a custom field to add the Buy button directly to each event.

How to do it

  1. Set up your WordPress events website with The Events Calendar, Event Tickets, Events Tickets Plus, and WooCommerce (as described above). Add some events with tickets.
  2. Use the Advanced Custom Fields plugin to create custom fields for any fields from your tickets that you want to include in the table. For example, you might need custom fields for event price and add to cart button.
  3. Go to the Events section in the WP admin, edit each event, and add data to the custom fields you just created. Adding the price is self-explanatory. There are 2 options for adding the 'Book Now' or 'Add to Cart' buttons:
    • You can use the WooCommerce add-to-cart shortcode to insert the 'Add to Cart' buttons for the ticket that corresponds to each event. (To learn how to do this, go to docs.woocommerce.com/document/woocommerce-shortcodes and go to the 'Add to Cart' section.)
    • You can also add the ticket's "add to cart" link URL to the event or product. You need to manually enter the link for each event or product. The link should be in this format: https://yourdomain.com/cart/?add-to-cart=ID. Replace the domain name with your own and the ID with the ticket's ID. To find the ticket's ID, go to the main Products page in WooCommerce and click on the ticket. Look for the ID in the URL.
  4. Now, you can create a table of events that includes these extra fields.

How to use Posts Table Pro as an event directory WordPress plugin

If you'd like to create an event directory for WordPress, rather than a table that simply lists your events, you can make use of Post Table Pro's built-in options to add filters powered by custom taxonomies and turn Posts Table Pro into an event directory WordPress plugin.

That is, you can add categories or tags using The Events Calendar's built-in functionality. Then, you can create a filterable event directory for WordPress powered by those tags.

Here's how to do it...

Step 1: Apply categories and tags in The Events Calendar

First, you'll need to use The Events Calendar plugin's built-in tags or event categories taxonomies to organize your events:

Add categories and tags

If you want more options, you could add additional taxonomies with the free Pods plugin. In fact, if you want to use tags in your directory, we'd definitely recommend this because The Events Calendar doesn't create its own tags taxonomy (instead, it relies on the same tags you use for regular blog posts).

Go further with an A-Z event index or other options

Posts Table Pro lets you add filters for categories and tags, but not venues and organizers.

If you'd like to divide your event directory by those options, you could use a tabbed A-Z index if you only have a few venues/organizers.

Or, if you have a lot of venues/organizers, you could:

  1. Use Posts Table Pro to create separate event directories for each venue on different pages.
  2. Create a table/directory of venues by querying the tribe_venue post type using Posts Table Pro.
  3. Add a custom field to the tribe_venue post type that links to the directory page for that venue.
  4. Display that custom field as a column in your overall venue directory to link to the page with that venue's event directory.

You could do the same thing for organizers by using the tribe_organizer post type.

Use an event directory WordPress theme

For additional functionality, you can also consider an event directory WordPress theme that's built to integrate with The Events Calendar. The Events Calendar collected a list of such themes here.

Can I list recurring events from Events Calendar Pro?

Recurring events can be a challenge for WordPress event plugins, including The Events Calendar Pro. Unfortunately, the plugin doesn't allow you to list each individual event in a series because they are not stored as separate posts in the WordPress database. However, there are several alternatives to consider.

One option is to create the series of events manually without using the recurring events feature. This involves creating one event and then cloning it to create the others in the series using a plugin like Duplicate Post.

Another alternative is to use a different event plugin that supports recurring events, such as Event Espresso or All-in-One Event Calendar. These plugins have their own unique features and layouts, which may better suit your needs.

Alternatively, you can use a custom-coded solution to list recurring events, although this option requires some coding knowledge.

There are several options available to list recurring events in WordPress, even if The Events Calendar Pro does not support it. By exploring the alternatives, you can find the best solution for your website and ensure that your visitors can easily find and engage with your recurring events.

Creating tables using other events calendar plugins

The above instructions explain how to create a table of upcoming events using The Events Calendar plugins by Modern Tribe. If you're using a different plugin such as Event Espresso or Events Manager, you can still use the Posts Table Plugin to display events in a table. However, the syntax for the shortcode will be different.

You'll need to send a support request to the events plugin author to ask for the correct terminology. Specifically, you need to know the name of the events' custom post type, plus the custom fields and taxonomies used to store the event data. To help you with this, here's some wording to send them:

"Hi, I'm using the Posts Table Pro plugin to display a list of upcoming events on my website. I need some information about the data that your plugin stores for my events so that I can display it in the table. Please could you tell me:

- The slug of the custom post type used for the events

- The slug for the following pieces of data and whether each one is a custom field/meta field or taxonomy (now add a list of all the columns you want to display in the table - e.g. event date, date, category, price)

Thank you very much"

Armed with this information about your chosen WordPress event plugin, you can use the instructions in this article to set up your shortcode.

If it's not possible to display a particular piece of information about your event (i.e. because it's stored in the wrong format), don't worry. You can still use the Posts Table Pro plugin to list events in a table. You just need to create your own custom field or taxonomy, add it to the events post type, and manually add the data there. This gives you full control so you can show the event data as a column in the events table or list.

How can I set up the WordPress calendar plugin if I don't already have it?

Before you can start using The Events Calendar plugin, you need to ensure that your website meets the system requirements. The plugin is compatible with WordPress 5.0 or higher and requires PHP 5.6 or higher. Make sure your website is running on the latest version of WordPress and PHP to avoid any compatibility issues.

How to download and install The Events Calendar plugin

To download the plugin, follow these steps:

  1. Go to the WordPress plugin repository or the Modern Tribe website.
  2. Search for "The Events Calendar" plugin.
  3. Click on the "Download" button and save the plugin zip file to your computer.
  4. Log in to your WordPress dashboard and go to the "Plugin" section.
  5. Click on the "Add New" button.
  6. Click on the "Upload Plugin" button.
  7. Choose the plugin zip file you downloaded in step 3 and click "Install Now."
  8. Once the plugin has been installed. click "Activate" to enable the plugin on your website.

Learn how to create a professional events website with the Events Calendar plugin

Consider taking my online course or reading my e-book to learn more about how to create a WordPress events website using The Events Calendar plugin.

The online course contains 36 lectures and over 3.5 hours of video tutorials. In this course, you will learn how to set up professional events website step-by-step. This also includes how to use The Events Calendar plugin to create an events table or list. The course covers everything from choosing a hosting provider to customizing your events page.

The e-book is available on Kindle. This provides a more basic introduction to setting up The Events Calendar. This resource is ideal as a written companion to the online course or as a standalone training book. The e-book covers the essentials of creating an events website, including how to install and configure The Events Calendar plugin.

Using these resources can help you maximize the benefits of The Events Calendar plugin. You may not have been utilizing all of its features and functionalities, which can enhance your event management process.

If you're still choosing a WordPress event plugin for your website, you can also check out our article on 2 ways to take the course and event bookings with WooCommerce.

Hiring a WordPress developer to create your events website

Consider outsourcing your WordPress website development to a web design agency or posting a job on Codeable. It's a marketplace for experienced WordPress developers. The platform ensures high-quality work and allows you to review each person's credentials before choosing the right person.

When you post a job on Codeable, it will be seen by people with experience with The Events Calendar plugin. After you receive quotes, you can check each person's reviews to choose the right person.

Common issues and errors with Events Calendar

The Events Calendar plugin is a powerful tool that allows users to create, manage, and promote events on WordPress. The plugin is generally reliable and easy to use. But there are some common issues and errors that you may encounter.

One of the most common issues is conflicts with other plugins or themes. The Events Calendar plugin relies on a specific set of code and functionality. As well as conflicts with other plugins or themes can cause errors or prevent the plugin from working correctly.

Another common issue is missing or incorrect event data. You may experience issues if you don't enter all the required information. Also, face data synchronization problems between the plugin and other tools. You may also encounter slow loading times or performance problems. This is true for a large number of events or high-traffic volumes.

How to troubleshoot and resolve these issues

There are steps you can take to troubleshoot and solve the problem.

First, you should check for conflicts with other plugins or themes. This can be done by disabling other plugins and switching to a default theme. Try enabling each plugin and theme one by one to find the source of the conflict if the issue disappears.

To fix missing or incorrect event data, check entries to ensure all necessary details are entered. If the problem persists, disable other plugins and themes to rule out conflicts.

Troubleshooting and resolving issues with The Events Calendar plugin requires a combination of attention to detail, patience, and technical know-how. They provide excellent support, so you can always reach out to them with any issues.

What theme is used on the video and screenshots for this post?

The website used in the video tutorial and screenshots is designed using the Avada theme, which is the most popular and bestselling WordPress theme of all time. If you're interested in replicating the design of this website on your own site, it's effortless to do so.

All you need to do is purchase and install the Avada theme on your WordPress site. Avada provides a vast range of customization options. This allows you to tweak your website's layout, colors, fonts, and other design elements. With the help of Avada's drag-and-drop page builder, you can easily create complex page layouts without any coding knowledge.

Apart from its customizable features, the Avada theme is also renowned for its speed, security, and SEO capabilities. These are crucial for ensuring that your website ranks high in search results and loads quickly.

How do I style an event calendar in WordPress?

Styling an event calendar in WordPress can be achieved in different ways. This depends on the plugin used to create the calendar. However, most WordPress event calendar plugins come with pre-built styles. As well as settings that allow users to customize the appearance of the calendar. Here are some general steps you can follow to style an event calendar in WordPress:

  1. Choose a WordPress event calendar plugin that suits your needs and preferences.
  2. Install and activate the plugin on your WordPress site.
  3. Navigate to the settings or customization options of the plugin to access the style settings.
  4. Adjust the settings to customize the colors, fonts, and other design elements of the calendar. Some plugins may offer more advanced options such as custom CSS. This allows you to add your own styles to the calendar.
  5. Preview the changes to see how they affect the appearance of the calendar. Make further adjustments as needed until you achieve the desired look.
  6. Save the settings and publish the calendar on your site.

In addition to the plugin settings, you can also use custom CSS to style the event calendar further. This can be done by adding CSS code to the "Additional CSS" section of your WordPress theme customization settings.

Alternative WordPress Event Calendar Plugins

There are several other WordPress event calendar plugins that you can use besides The Events Calendar plugin. Here are some of the best ones:

  1. WP Event Manager: This plugin is an excellent choice for those who want a lightweight and easy-to-use event calendar solution. It allows you to create events, manage attendees, and sell tickets directly on your website.
  2. All-in-One Event Calendar: This plugin offers a comprehensive set of features. This includes recurring events, custom event attributes, and social sharing options. It also provides a sleek and modern design that's fully responsive and mobile-friendly.
  3. EventOn: This plugin is known for its customizable and stylish design options. It comes with a drag-and-drop builder that allows you to create event calendars with ease. It also offers several add-ons, including ticketing and RSVP management.
  4. Modern Events Calendar: This plugin provides a modern and intuitive user interface. This includes powerful features such as recurring events, countdown timers, and Google Maps integration. It also offers various add-ons, including ticketing and social sharing options.
  5. My Calendar: This plugin is an excellent choice for those who want a simple and lightweight event calendar solution. It provides a range of features, including recurring events in WordPress, custom event attributes, and widget support. It's also highly customizable, allowing you to tweak the design and layout to your liking.

Selecting the right plugin for your website is crucial. It can greatly impact the functionality and overall user experience.

What else can I use the Posts Table Pro plugin for?

After using the WordPress table plugin to list your events in a table, the possibilities for displaying content are endless. The plugin provides you with a flexible way to organize your website's content. It makes it easy for visitors to find and engage with the information they need.

For instance, if you have a knowledge hub with various publications, you can use the table plugin to create a WordPress document library with filters that allow users to sort and search for the specific document they need. YOu can list them in a knowledge hub. You can also use the plugin to showcase audio and video content on your site, creating a video or audio gallery that is easy to navigate and search.

If you have a membership site, you can use the plugin to display a member directory, complete with member profiles and search functionality. This can be a valuable tool for building community and promoting networking among members.

Mastering event creation and management in WordPress

Event creation and management in WordPress can be a breeze if you have the right tools and knowledge. With the tips and tricks mentioned in this article, you can streamline your event creation process and ensure your events are successfully managed. Whether you're using a plugin or custom code, it's important to stay organized and keep track of all your events.

By following the best practices for event creation and management, you can save time and increase engagement with your target audience. So, start mastering your event creation and management skills in WordPress today and take your events to the next level!

WordPress password protected events plugin

There are lots of plugins to organize or sell events on a WordPress website, but it's less obvious how to create WordPress password protected events.

Today, I'm going to tell you how to use Password Protected Categories to protect events. This is an easy-to-use plugin that lets you password protect events based on their category. It works with any WordPress events plugin, whether you're using Events Calendar Pro, Event Espresso, WP Events Manager, or something else.

Let's get started!

What is Password Protected Categories?

Password proteted WordPress events plugin login page

Password Protected Categories is a WordPress plugin developed by ourselves at Barn2 Media. It provides an easy way to hide and password protect any type of category in WordPress.

The plugin works with any WordPress custom post type, including Events. This means that you can use it as a WordPress password protected events plugin.

There are lots of ways that you can use Password Protected Categories to hide or protect your upcoming events:

  • You can list events in the public areas of your website, but require a password before users can view the event detail page or make a booking.
  • Another option is to list public courses or events in the public parts of your website, and create 1 or more private event categories that only people with the password can view. These will be hidden from public view - people in the public parts of your site will never know that your private event listings exist.
  • Alternatively, you can put all your events within 1 or more hidden event categories. This hides the entire events section of your website, while your normal web pages (Home, About, Contact, Blog, etc.) remain public.
  • Finally, you can create hidden event categories which only certain logged in users or roles can see.

Create a private or password protected events category in WordPress. It will instantly hide and protect all the events in the category and its sub-categories with the same password. This is much easier than password protecting individual events. It's more user-friendly because people only have to enter one password to unlock the entire category and all its events.

See password protected event categories in action on our plugin demo page.

Why would I want to password protect events?

Some people use a WordPress events booking website to promote events which are available for everyone to view and book. Others create a private events website to advertise events that only pre-approved people can access.

Here are some examples of why you might want to sell private events in WordPress:

  • A company or organization might want to create a hidden events area on their website to list staff-only events or workshops.
  • Training companies might offer training course dates to employees of a specific organization. They can list these events within a hidden password protected events category. Employees can enter the password to view the dates that are available to them, and make a booking without the public knowing that these events exist.
  • A members-only events site (e.g. a membership club or speed dating site) can use password protected events categories to take bookings for their events. Only people with access to each type of event can view them and make a booking.
  • Some websites list all their events publicly, but only pre-approved people can actually place a booking. When you click on an event, you are prompted to enter a password. This is a good way to recruit people into a club or membership organization, as they must join in order to book an event.

And of course, you can password protect events in WordPress even if you don't take bookings via your website. The important thing is that the event pages are private. It doesn't matter whether or not you accept bookings or if people can just turn up on the day.

Which WordPress events plugins does Password Protected Categories work with?

WordPress Password Protected Categories works with the vast majority of WordPress events plugins. Here's how to tell if it will work with your chosen events plugin:

  1. The plugin must have a custom post type which is used to store events. This applies to nearly all WordPress events plugins. If your events plugin has created a section called 'Courses', 'Events' or similar in the left hand side of the WordPress admin, then this means that there's a custom post type for events.
  2. The events custom post type must come with categories (also known as hierarchical taxonomies in WordPress). You can check this by looking under the 'Events' link in the left hand side of the WordPress admin. If there's a 'Categories' link, then this will work with the Password Protected Categories plugin.
WordPress password protected events plugin compatibility
If your events plugin creates an 'Events' section (or equivalent) and comes with categories, then it will work with Password Protected Categories

If your events plugin doesn’t categorize events then you can easily achieve this by installing Easy Post Types and Fields and creating a custom taxonomy for the events post type.

Compatible WordPress events plugins

The following events plugins definitely work with Password Protected Categories:

This list is not exhaustive and it will actually work with most events plugins. If you're not sure, add a comment below and I'll check, or you can test it with Password Protected Categories and use our 30-day money back guarantee if there are any problems.

How to password protect events in WordPress

To start password protecting events, either watch the video or follow the instructions below:

  1. Password Protected Categories settings.First, install the Password Protected Categories plugin. (I'm assuming that your events plugin is already set up. If not, click here for some tips.)
  2. Go to Settings > Protected Categories and enter your license key.
  3. Choose your settings, such as the text for the password entry form. You can also choose the number of days before each user must re-enter the password to continue accessing the password protected events categories.
  4. Tick the 'Show Protected' box to display your password protected events in the public parts of your site. (This means that people can see your protected events, and will be prompted for a password when they try to view the single event page.) Leave it unticked if you want your protected events to be completely hidden from public view.
  5. Next, hover over the events section on the left of the WordPress admin, and click the Categories link. Add or edit the events category that you want to password protect. Find the 'Visibility' section and choose one of these options:
    • Password protected - Enter 1 or more passwords to hide the category page and its events behind a password protection screen. You can add a shared password for everyone, or add a different password for each person. (More info here.)
    • User or role protected - Choose this if you want to hide the category and its events from public view, so that only logged in users with a specific user role can see this.

WordPress password protect events category plugin

  1. Add the shortcode [category_login] anywhere on your site to create a category login form. When someone enters a password on this page, the plugin will automatically direct them to the correct events category.

Can I protect multiple event categories with the same password?

Yes, you can create more complex event category structures, all protected by a single password. To do this, you need to create a single password protected 'Parent' category and password protect it. Next, add as many sub-categories as you like. Leave them set to 'Public'.

The plugin will automatically protect the password protected sub-categories and their events with the same password as the parent events category. Users can enter the password once and the entire section will be unlocked for them. Once they're in, they can navigate between multiple events as needed.

How to create a WordPress events website

I've written this tutorial for people who already have a WordPress events plugin set up on their site. If you haven't got this far, don't worry.

I recommend The Events Calendar plugin as the best way to create events in WordPress. You can use the free plugin to list events for information, or combine it with the Pro plugins from the same company to take bookings online with WooCommerce.

If you don't know how to do this, I've created an online course about how to create a WordPress events website using these plugins. It covers everything you need to know.

Does the plugin change my event layouts?

Password Protected Categories is a simple plugin to protect and hide any or all of your WordPress event categories. If you want to change the way your events are displayed, then I recommend our Posts Table Pro plugin.

WordPress password protected events tablePosts Table Pro is a WordPress table plugin. Unlike most table plugins, it takes any type of WordPress content and lists it in an interactive table view with filters. It's ideal for listing events in a table because the table layout is perfect for displaying events. The table plugin lists each event date on a separate row of the table. You can show whichever columns of data you'd like, such as event image, name, description, date etc.

Check out our tutorial on how to create a table of events with Posts Table Pro and The Events Calendar plugin. If you're using a different WordPress events plugin such as Event Espresso then the instructions are similar. The only difference is that you need to use the name of the events post type created by your plugin instead.


Password protected events WordPress plugin

So, now you know how to hide and password protect event categories - regardless of which WordPress events plugin you're using. Next, it's time to put it into practice.

Download Password Protected Categories and use it with your chosen WordPress events plugin. It just takes a few minutes to set up and will instantly hide all the courses or events in your protected categories.

Password Protected Categories comes with an in-depth knowledge base and full support from us at Barn2 Media. It comes with everything you need to get your password protected events up and running, so try it today.

WooCommerce Event Booking Online CourseBuild a Course & Event Bookings Website with WordPress - our new online course - is now available on Udemy. It teaches you how to design a WooCommerce Event Booking website by combining the best WordPress course booking plugins, without needing any technical expertise.

At the end of this article, I will share a coupon code to give you 50% discount for the course.

TAKE THE COURSE

Why we've written a WooCommerce Event Booking online course

Over the years, I have worked with many clients to build a WordPress event booking website. Most of our clients sell training courses but we have designed websites that let people register for all sorts of event. Our blog post about how to use WooCommerce to create a course or event booking website is one of the most popular on our website.

This has given us lots of experience of the different ways to develop a course and events website. We've tried and tested most of the WordPress course booking plugins, as well as customise existing plugins and build bespoke systems to meet more unique requirements.

This has allowed us to develop a unique formula for the best way to build an events site. It's based on The Events Calendar, a free WordPress plugin by Modern Tribe. Used alone, The Events Calendar lets you display your courses and events on a WordPress website. However it comes with a range of extensions which can be mixed and matched to create different types of events site. You can display events as a simple list or on a calendar. At the other end of the scale, you can integrate with the world's leading e-commerce plugin to create a complete WooCommerce event booking website.

Used correctly, these plugins are a fantastic way to build a course or events booking website without having to write any code. However you need to understand how the plugins work and the best way to use them. I've written this online course to help people to use our formula to design their own events website.

Build a Course & Event Bookings Website with WordPress - Promo video

Course content

The course covers the complete process for building a WooCommerce events site from start to finish, including:

  • Introduction to the different types of events website
  • Overview of The Events Calendar suite of plugins and WooCommerce, to help you select the right plugins for your needs
  • Detailed guidance on how to set up the free version of The Events Calendar
  • Detailed instructions on using the free Event Tickets plugin to take registration for free events
  • Comprehensive instructions on how to use the paid Event Tickets Plus plugin with WooCommerce to take paid bookings for your courses and events
  • Tips on making more money from your website, including upselling your events alongside other types of products
  • Tips on driving more traffic to your events pages
  • I'll share our bullet-proof process for testing and troubleshooting your events site
  • Finally, I'll share Barn2 Media's go-live checklist to get your events site off to a successful start

Coupon code - 50% discount

To celebrate the launch of our new online course, I'm giving our readers a coupon code to sign up for just $18 (usual price $35).

You can sign up for the course and get the discount via this link: https://www.udemy.com/course-event-bookings-website-wordpress/?couponCode=HALFPRICE. The first few lectures are available for free so you can "try before you buy".

I look forward to seeing you on the course and would love to hear your feedback!

TAKE THE COURSE