How can you efficiently spread event content across your entire website? If you’re looking into centralizing your organization’s events calendar, or even if you already have a central calendar, that’s a key question to ask yourself. Done right, your online calendar system can help you drive events from online orientation all the way to graduation and homecoming. But you need the right system—and the right higher-ed website calendar widgets—to make it happen.
Most organizations have a centralized content management system that allows them to share and spread information easily and consistently. But many overlook the benefits of having a centralized calendar beyond its ability to serve as the main location for all event details. A centralized calendar should not just be a central location. It should also allow for events to be curated and selectively shared across multiple landing pages on your organization’s website.
This type of “widget builder” should be a key functionality for any calendar system you want to implement. It can ensure that your central calendar’s potential and reach is maximized. Learn about the best options for higher ed website calendar widgets below. Then, explore the benefits that these solutions can offer for your institution.
1. Concept3D
Through its Localist Events solution, Concept3D provides central event management options for higher education that come with significant benefits for the management, promotion, and evaluation of your campus events. The tool’s customizability, while still ensuring that your events will remain on brand and distributed across the entire website through the central calendar widget, make Localist Events the top solution for higher ed websites.
Key Features
- Consistent brand identity through a centralized template solution that can match your institution’s brand guidelines and websites
- Easy management of sign-ups and RSVPs for events to create a simple, comprehensive experience for all of your users
- A widget builder that allows internal and external stakeholders to create customized event listings using tags, keywords, dropdowns of event categories, and more
- Custom permissions to ensure the right access for the right people without jeopardizing the central calendar
2. FullCalendar
As a JavaScript calendar solution, FullCalendar is not an all-in-one tool like Localist Events. But if you already have a calendar system in place, it can turn into one of the most powerful higher-ed website calendar widgets available. Use it to transport that calendar into the right spaces. Then, you can ensure maximum visibility for all of your campus events.
Key Features
- API integrations with React, Javascript, Vue, and Angular enable this calendar widget to integrate into your website, regardless of its exact build.
- HTML and CSS customizability ensures that the final visual product will match your website’s look and style.
- Modular plugins enable additional features, ranging from advanced scrolling features all the way to printing capabilities, time grids, and more.
3. The Events Calendar
If your university website is built on WordPress, The Events Calendar is a top option among higher-ed website calendar widgets. It’s a WordPress plugin that enables you to both build a central calendar system and port individual events to sub-calendars. You can then display these sub-calendars anywhere from individual department pages to external entities. A limited free version is perfect to try out the system. But the paid Pro version unlocks some of the advanced features listed below.
Key Features
- Basic event categories and tags make it easy to highlight the variety of campus events occurring on your campus at any time.
- Recurring events enable your campus stakeholders to increase efficiency while posting their regular events.
- Advanced views, like photo views and map views, increase both the attractiveness and usability of your event listings.
- Featured events can be highlighted on key areas like your homepage for increased visibility.
4. Elfsight
Specifically designed as a website calendar widget, the Elfsight Event Calendar taps into your data to transform simple central calendars into attractive, segmented listings. These can be used throughout your digital properties. It supports almost every content management system commonly used in higher education. Also, its ease of use is a main selling point for institutions looking to enhance their calendar listings online quickly.
Key Features
- Interactive interface that makes it easy for multiple stakeholders, including students, to post and promote their campus events
- Access a wide range of pre-made event templates. Each one can be customized to fit your institution’s brand and preferred way of posting events.
- Pop-up-based user interface that dynamically transforms from a simple interview into a detailed view of each event when a user clicks on each available option
- Straightforward embed codes for every event system and template that make the widget universally usable across your digital properties
5. Tockify
Taking a unique approach to the concept of higher ed website calendar widgets, Tockify is a self-contained calendar system that still prioritizes ease of use. Sign up online to get your own calendar. Then, use the system’s no-code setup to create online event management and display tools that match your institution’s brand and preferences. Embed codes then transfer those views onto your website, even as you use the web-based editor to continue managing the calendar centrally.
Key Features
- Public event submission feature that enables your entire community, from students to faculty members, to submit and promote their event within the central system
- Flexible, customizable RSVP functionality for invite-only events that will help your organizers better plan for attendance ahead of time
- Live sync with Google Calendar to ensure a smooth transition for any campus using Google properties for their employees
- Mini calendar option that makes it easy to fit the widget into any part of your website – from homepage to departmental pages
Benefits of Using Higher Ed Website Calendar Widgets
Embed a calendar widget into your website or content management system, and you can leverage a wide range of benefits that help with anything from event management to promotion of your community events. These six benefits can go a long way toward promoting your upcoming events. They simultaneously ensure consistency and accuracy within your university calendar.
Deploy Once, Update Everywhere
Rather than manually trying to load an event on each calendar that it is relevant to, you can save time and resources by simply entering it on your central calendar and setting it to display on the right widgets. As an added bonus, you won’t need to worry about customizing your layouts in HTML for each web page on which the events list will display. This feature further improves both functionality and simplicity.
Displaying a Snapshot of Events on Your Homepage
Any higher education professional knows this: your website’s homepage will inherently be both the most common first page a new user visits and the most visited by all users. With the right higher-ed website calendar widgets, you can take advantage of your homepage’s prime real estate. Display the most important, popular, or new events without significant extra effort.
Sharing Customized Content Across Your Website
Chances are your institution’s website is full of landing pages for functional areas like groups, departments, or categories for different event types. Using widgets makes it possible for each subdivision and institutional unit to proudly showcase related events without forgoing centralization or saved time. But it all fits into a simple template that keeps your institution’s brand and preferred display style.
Increased Event Visibility
Your events page likely gets limited visibility from audiences like prospective and current students. The right plugin for your higher ed website calendar widgets multiplies your calendar’s reach. It also multiplies the number of eyes that will see your events. The right events will be displayed across your edu website, helping your goals for visibility and event attendance.
Increased Traffic Driven to Calendar
Every university will have a central calendar system to manage reservations and keep an overview of everything going on on campus. The right higher ed website calendar widgets allow you to draw your audience’s eyeballs to that central calendar, displaying all your university events for greater visibility. Your users now have more than one chance to learn about an event or get notifications about the events that interest them. This drives more traffic and ultimately makes your events more successful.
New Revenue Opportunities
Higher education budgets are tighter than they’ve ever been. A calendar management system that leverages widgets can allow you to configure your events to make selling sponsorship opportunities easy. External organizations can now provide content for the event. They’ll see their logo or name magnified through all the benefits above. Ultimately, this drives more revenue to ease your budget challenges.
Drive Student Engagement With Concept3D
A central management system for your institution’s calendar is only the beginning. With higher ed website calendar widgets, you can turn that calendar system into a powerful tool. Drive more traffic, engagement, and attendance among your core audiences.
Of course, you need to find the right system—with the right integrations—to make that happen. Localist Events can help you make that happen, integrating naturally with your institution’s website and other digital properties. Ready to learn more? Request a demo to learn more about Concept3D and how our solutions can help you drive student engagement.