Add events as an Admin

Event form: Basic Information

Once you reach the event form, fill out the form accordingly (required fields are marked with an asterisk: *) while considering the following guidance:  

• In the Event Listing Info fields, the “Event Owner” field should automatically populate with your Yale email address. Include a concise but descriptive event title in the “Event Name” field. If the event is part of a standing event series, do not include the series name in the title field; instead, make it clear in the Description field below. 

• In the Description field, while describing your event in about 300 words or less, ignore the Image Properties option—this is not where you will upload your event photo. You will have this ability in the second tab of the submission form (see Event submission form: Details). You should also ignore the Media Embed and Source options in that field. 

• The Schedule fields allow you to identify the start time, end time, and event date or multiple dates—e.g., by typing “Next Friday,” the tool will smartly interpret the specific calendar date for you. If your event spans multiple dates, click the “Repeating” dropdown menu to specify how and when the event will repeat. Note: Event start and end times will automatically reflect Eastern Standard Time. 

To be sure the event date(s) is correct before publishing, check the “Confirmed Dates” list generated underneath. If the schedule generated in the summary is accurate, click “Add Above to Schedule” to finalize. If additional days are needed, add them to the section and check the summary again. If these additional dates are correct, click “Include Above in Schedule.” If any date or time is incorrect, you can edit it by clicking the pencil icon or delete it by clicking the trashcan icon. 

• Under the Location fields, choose the event experience type—hybrid (accommodating both in-person and online attendees), in-person (in-person only), or virtual (online only). Depending on your answer, the tool will then auto-populate conditional fields specific to where and how audiences will attend your event. 

If either the hybrid or in-person event experience option is chosen, and if the event takes place on campus, under the “Event Place” field, the address there will automatically map to the Yale University Campus Map.

Note: If the Yale location you’re looking for does not exist in the menu dropdown, contact calendar.support@yale.edu for assistance.  

• In the Classifications, Tags, and Keywords fields, avoid overclassifying your event as it will not boost your event’s visibility or reach. Be sure to limit your event to no more than three (3) appropriate tags or classifications per section. “Event Type,” “Topics,” and “Audience” are pre-populated dropdown menus, while the “Tags” field is free-form and can be used for more department-specific tagging.  

Please refer to the Editorial Best Practices & Guidelines for additional guidance on classifying your event. 

Important! Although the Groups field isn’t marked with an asterisk in Localist, please note you must tag your campus group in every event you create. This rule also applies for those events that are submitted to you for review and approval; if the user has not tagged your group in the submission form, please go back and add your campus group before publishing to the calendar.  

In the Groups field, click the dropdown arrow to carefully select your group as the event host. If another campus group is co-hosting or sponsoring your event, locate and add their campus group to the field. If you are on the latest version of YaleSites, this field determines which events will be imported to your site.

Important! In the case of multiple campus co-hosts or sponsors, be sure to confirm the event is not already live on the calendar. If the event is live, do not duplicate the event with additional submissions. 

Calendar admins are responsible for taking precaution when adding or approving events with multiple groups tagged. Do not tag another campus group if they are not already an established co-host or sponsor of your event. If you select more than one group in this field, once the event is approved by any group tagged, that event listing will go up on every tagged group’s calendar. 

In the event of an error, however, please note that published events can always be edited (or removed). 

Event form: Details 

• Although the Photo field isn’t marked with an asterisk, please note that each event submission must include a university-appropriate, landscape-oriented (horizontal) image set in at least the following dimensions: 940 x 557 pixels. The maximum supported file size is 5,000 x 5,000 pixels. 

Upload your event’s photo; if you do not have an event photo, you can also access the Campus Photos catalog for relevant options to choose from. 

For accessibility purposes, please note that any event flyer-like imagery where an image is overlaid with text should be avoided. 

After uploading your photo, in the “Photo Description” text field, include a concise description for the image. 

• If your event includes speakers or panel presenters, identify them by name in the Speaker field. Start typing their name in the field to auto-populate former speakers; if their name appears, check to make sure their title is current.  

If their title is not current (or if they’re a new speaker to Yale), you can add their revised name and title in the free-text field, making sure to follow the same style convention as the other speakers listed: FirstName LastName, Title, Organization. Once you’ve typed in their name, click “Create [FirstName] [LastName]” to add to the field and system. Note that a more thorough speaker biography should be included in the Event Description field. 

Event form: Tickets & Registration 

• The Tickets & Registration section is optional as many university events typically do not necessitate a formal registration process. If your event does require registration, you can choose to use Localist’s free registration feature or link out to a separate event registration system—e.g., Eventbrite. Within this section, you can also include ticket information and the URL to register. 

If you choose to set up your free event registration through Localist, tick the “Use Localist Register” box in the top left corner. Doing so brings up a view with three sections: Tickets (where you will create the ticketing system), Promo Codes (where you can create a discounting system), and Attendee Questions (questions for registrants to answer before the event).  

In the top right corner, click “View Confirmed Tickets” to monitor your event sign-ups and export a .CSV file of those who have registered.

Event form: Attendee Engagement 

• Under Event Insights, if you choose, admins can gain additional insights by automatically surveying registered attendees after the event is complete. Uncheck this option if you do not wish to collect this information from your attendees; there is no dedicated moderation or monitoring of this feature and its corresponding insights report from Yale-ITS or Yale Office of Public Affairs & Communications (OPAC).

Event form: Publish

• Under the Visibility section, set your event’s visibility to “Public.” 

• Through the Status section, and when you’re ready to publish, set your event as “Live.” If the status of your event changes—e.g., is canceled—update the status of your event accordingly: Live, Canceled, Postponed, Sold Out. The updated status will then automatically prepend to your event title.  

• The OPAC calendar team will control the In Calendar Promotion section, thoughtfully determining which events will be featured on the calendar’s homepage. Events selected for the homepage will generally hold the broadest appeal for Yale and New Haven community audiences.