Hey there, Community members! We hope you are having a great first week of February! For this edition of Tip of the Week, we are covering a feature that is not new to the Cvent platform, but may have some new uses for you in our ever-changing virtual environment. Read on to learn how to use Internal Calendars and Event Calendars to the fullest.
Internal Calendar:
Everyone loves to stay organized and track their busy schedules, especially in our industry. Internal calendars are used just for you and your colleagues in your own Cvent account. Consider it your private schedule, where you can include the important dates related to your events, organization, and other milestones.
A few ways to use this function in the current environment:
- Many of us are working remote and juggling new responsibilities or work/life balance. Create a special internal calendar and make it private so it is just for your visibility. If it doesn't need to be private, you can still limit it by user group to control who in your account has access.
- Take it the next level by only including what really matters to you. Use calendar filters to filter by planner name, such as yourself, event dates if you are looking for a certain time period, or even a custom event field.
- If your account is using custom event fields to track the type of event, or if it is virtual, this is a perfect way to either filter entirely by these fields, or simply include it in the Displayed Fields which will be visible when you hover over the calendar.
- Are you more of a visual person? Choose how your events will be displayed, and then color code them to take it the next level! You can color code by Registration Status, Planning Status, or even a custom field (as long is it is created in the Choice format).
- We mentioned including what's most important to you on this calendar. Sometimes, that isn't just your Cvent events. If that's the case, use Additional Calendar Items to add more to track. Suggestion: add any meetings and events that are not created in the Cvent system, days you may be off work, or the dates you are taking Cvent training or certification.
Event Calendar:
Similar to the Internal Calendar, everyone loves to stay organized and track what's important to them. Event Calendars differ from Internal Calendars though, as you can share these externally, whether through a weblink or web widget, to give visibility to your invitees and registrants.
A few ways you can use this function in the current environment:
- With virtual events, most organizations have seen a great increase in the number of events they are hosting. That can sometimes be tricky for an invitee to keep track, hence the immense value of a clean and concise Cvent Event Calendar for them to browse your events schedule.
- Choose only the events you'd like to display, such as launched registration events, to ensure your invitees can take immediate action to register.
- Choose the event and session fields to display, which can include basic details such as date/time/description, but also categories or custom fields. If you have expanded your event program while switching to virtual, these organizational methods will help your invitees find the right event for them in a more efficient way.
- Similar to Internal Calendars, there are filtering functions, however Event Calendars take it a step further. Not only can you filter on the back-end to control which events you'd like to display, but you can also offer a 'Filter' display so your invitees can easily browse your schedule and again find what's right for them.
- Use Tags to assign text and background colors to easily find events and sessions on the calendar. For our visual people, here is another great way to use custom fields. As an example, your custom field may be "Virtual Education Training," and you can then assign background colors and text for the offerings of Product Training, Industry Training, and Advanced Certification.
- Enhance your Event Calendar website through the Calendar Website designer. Include images, text instructions, and more to impress and inform your invitees while they browse.
Questions for you:
- Did you already use these features? If so, what is one tip that you would share with others while configuring them?
- How else would you use the calendar features to support your virtual or hybrid event programs?
Let us know any ideas, suggestions, and questions below! #CventTip
P.S. – Want to stay in the know on virtual events and the Attendee Hub through the Community? Check out our new Virtual Event Resource Center page – access it under Helpful Links in the navigation menu!
#Flex-Creating/ManagingEvents#PromotingYourEvent------------------------------
Danni Czark
Senior Associate, Online Community Marketing
Cvent
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