Creating an Event Post

Add an event post that you can highlight by itself or as part of a calendar.

Anatomy of an event post: A short summary of your event will show up on the event snippet (preview). Visitors can click through to each event detail page for more information.

See events in action »

How to create an event post

1. Create a location

  • Events have a pre-populated list of locations to select from. If you’re adding an event with a new location, create the location before you add the event. If you’re not sure if the location is new, skip to Step 2 so you can check the event editor page. The location dropdown is typically in the right panel at the bottom.

Tips for virtual events

Since the location field is useful for event previews and consistency, we recommend creating an event location (e.g., “Zoom”), even for virtual events. In the body of the event description (#3 below), provide instructions for attendees to join.

WashU IT recommends against listing Zoom links publicly, so you may wish to have attendees register; then you can email the link. Attendees can register by emailing you directly, or you can create a simple form.

See WashU IT’s best practices for Zoom meetings for more tips.

2. Create a new event

  • From the left menu of your site’s dashboard, go to Events > Add New Event or, from the black admin bar at the top of any page, go to New > Event.

3. Add a title and description

  • In the first block at the top of the page, Add title; this is the name of your event.
  • Below the title, add a description of the event using blocks. For example, you might use paragraph, heading, image and accordion blocks. This description is what will appear in the event detail page.

If you see a different editor than the one shown above, your site is likely using another Events tool. Contact sites@wustl.edu for assistance.

4. Add details, time and date

  • In the Event Details section, select from the dropdown if your event is Regular (only happening once), Recurring or Multi-day.
  • Check the box if this is an All day event.
  • Set the date(s), time and recurrence, if applicable. You can also choose to Remove the date if you do not want it to appear on the event post.

At the top of right panel, select Document to view the event settings.

5. Categorize the event

  • Create and assign categories under Event Categories in the right panel. You can also create and manage your event categories from the left menu of your site’s dashboard under Events > Event Categories.

    Learn more about adding categories to posts »

6. Add a Featured Image

  • Show people what they have to look forward to by adding a Featured Image, which will show up on the events detail page.

    To display an image, go to the Featured Image box on the right side of the screen and click Set featured image. Upload or select an image from the Media Library that is at least 760 pixels wide.

7. Add an excerpt

  • Include an Excerpt, a short summary of the event that acts as a teaser on the event snippet, the preview shown on calendars.

    If you don’t enter an excerpt, the first 55 words of your event description will become the excerpt, which may or may not be the best summary of the event. 

8. Add a location

  • Go to the Event Location section, on the right side of the screen. Use the dropdown menu to select an event location.
  • You must create the location before it will be available for selection here. If you haven’t created any locations yet, you’ll only see –Select location– in the dropdown menu.



    To create an event location, save your event as a draft, go create an event location, then return to the finish creating the event post.

9. Save, preview, publish

  • In the right panel, click Save Draft to save your work in an unpublished state.
  • Click the Preview button to see what your Event’s post detail page will look like in a new tab/window; note that you will not see the excerpt here as it only appears in the preview when the event is displayed on a page or on a calendar.
  • If you’re ready for your Event post to be publicly viewable, click Publish…; new changes can be published by clicking Update.

Where will my events appear?

When you create an event, it will appear automatically on any pages where you’ve inserted a calendar or category list that applies to that event(s).

Example A

  • You create a new event and assigned it the “Seminars” category.
  • On a page titled “Calendar,” you have inserted a calendar that pulls in events from all categories.
  • The new event you created will appear on that calendar automatically. You do not need to add it manually.

Example B

  • You create a new event and assign it the “Seminars” category.
  • On a page about student social events, you have inserted a list of events that only shows events tagged with the “Social Events” category.
  • The new event you created will not appear on this event list.

Event post examples

Post detail page

An event post detail page includes its title, date, time and full description, as well as an address and Google map (if added).

Event on a calendar

When the event displays on the calendar, it shows the title, date and time.

Popup window from calendar

When you click on an event in the calendar, a popup shows a summary of the event. This is the excerpt (if you entered one) or the first 55 words of the text entered in the event description.


More on this topic

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Adding a Calendar

Insert a calendar of your events by month, week or day.

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Adding a List of Events to a Page

Add a list of all upcoming events, or events from one or more categories.

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Adding a Single Event to a Page

Feature an individual event on a page.

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Adding Categories

Use categories to add filters or display a subset of posts on a page.

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Adding Event Locations

Create event locations separately from the event itself — and before you create the event.

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Adding Events to a Page

Add a single event to a page, or a list of events from a specific category.

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Creating an Event Post

Add an event post that you can highlight by itself or as part of a calendar.

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Syncing External Calendars

Dynamically import events with an iCal feed.