Event pages
Optimize your event page by following these simple best practices.
Event page essentials
Great event listings are clear and concise. They give people just enough information to decide whether to attend the event.
If your event page has an overwhelming amount of information, you'll need to make it clearer, shorter and more helpful. Explain what the event is and what people will gain by attending it.
You'll also need to ensure the page is easy to read and easy to scan. Consider that people may view your event listing on their phone, with a much smaller screen than a computer.
Use:
- Clear, simple wording
- Short sentences
- Short paragraphs
Check out the examples below to see what this can look like.
Example #1
Networking through informational interviews
Want to learn how to connect with professionals in a specific industry to gain insight from their career path and experiences that will help you guide your job search?
Whether you want some advice on the industry, company or position that you are targeting or are seeking to switch industries, informational interviews may be your answer. Learn how to find people to connect with from inside and outside of your network, how to ask for a meeting and how to prepare effectively.
Facilitator: Kristel Kabigting, career advisor
Open to undergraduate and graduate students from all programs.
What's notable about Example #1:
- Directly addresses potential participants ("you")
- Clearly outlines what participants will be able to do as a result of attending the workshop
- Has only 2 short paragraphs, followed by 2 lines of text
- Specifies who the event is for ("undergraduate and graduate students from all programs")
Example #2
The Department of Theatre presents: Short Play Fest
An evening of student-directed short plays, each 10-15 minutes long, by published playwrights. Facilitated by Mindy Parfitt.
"Short plays are magic because they give student directors, designers, and actors the opportunity to create a complete story - letting them delve into the world of a play."
- Mindy Parfitt
What's notable about Example #2:
- Extremely clear and concise
- It explains what the event is, then hooks you with a short quote
Example #3
Kacper Dziekan on Russian America: How Russia tried to colonize the west
In the early 1800s Russia was the fourth biggest European colonial power. Its colonial presence extended to Alaska and California, and lasted almost 100 years.
This lecture will explore:
- How and why did it happen?
- What is the legacy of the so-called Russian America?
- How is this story reflected in local toponymy, museal exhibitions, commemorative practices and even popular culture?
- What is the response from Indigenous communities to the memory of Russian settler colonialism?
Kacper Dziekan is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Concordia University. He has worked with the European Solidarity Centre, the Port of Cultures in Mariupol, Ukraine, and is now part of the Thinking Through the Museum research network.
Dziekan received his PhD from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Poland for research on the Russian colonization of America and the cultural memory of Russian America in the USA. He has been a Landecker Democracy Fellow and a Fulbright Junior Fellow at UC Berkeley.
What's notable about Example #3:
- The context on Russia is clear and short (only 2 sentences).
- The lecture topics are presented in bullet points, so they're easy to scan.
- The lecture topics are phrased as questions. Questions are often more engaging than statements, because our brains feel compelled to answer questions.
- The speaker's biography is only 2 short paragraphs. Anything longer can be overwhelming, especially on mobile.