This is an demo of how to do event marketing in RSVPMaker for WordPress, the events calendar used in WordPress for Toastmasters. Most of this is not Toastmasters-specific, but these are tools you should be aware of particularly for advertising special events and online events.
The demo shows an updated user interface for setting event dates and times.
The drop-down lists for year, month, day, and time are gone, replaced with simple text entry blanks. You can type in “January 1, 2021 7 PM” or “6 March 2021 8:30 am” or any other clear date and time. If you prefer, use the numeric format “2021-02-28 09:30:00.” That’s what actually gets recorded to the database.
If you enter the date as text, you will see the numeric equivalent and vice versa.
This change is based on usability research I’ve been reading that argues against excessive use of drop-downs. I personally found it to be inefficient when creating multiple events.
A simpler user interface lets you focus on event marketing, like copy and images that tell people why they should attend.
I’ve added the ability to change dates and times using the Quick Edit feature of WordPress post listings.
In addition, a new multi-event setup screen is handy for things like creating RSVPMaker event posts representing all the sessions and activities in a conference program.
The demo covers the use of the RSVPMaker Schedule block, which was intended for applications like conference schedules. Used in combination with the Show in my timezone button, it allows people to convert times to their own local timezone — particularly handy for online events. See the sample conference schedule example from the demo.