Overview
Your Event Sites act as public hubs for your events. It allows prospective attendees to browse, filter, and register for events while maintaining your institution's branding.
Many schools use a single event site to provide a convenient, one-stop location for event registration. However, supporting multiple event sites—with events filtered by category and/or type—allows institutions to better target specific audiences. For example, you might have one site for undergraduate admissions, another for graduate admissions, and a separate site for events for current students sponsored by campus clubs and organizations.
Event Settings gives you the tools to customize your site's appearance, navigation, and functionality, ensuring a cohesive and engaging experience for your audience.
Understanding Event Sites Architecture
Before diving into the settings and details of your Event Sites, it’s important first to understand the different pages that make up the site.
The collapsible sections below provide a brief overview of each page’s purpose and access points, helping you better understand the site’s architecture.
Event Site
Event Site
Purpose
Main listing of your public events. Each site can optionally target different events based on filters set by event category and/or event types.
Access
Primary domain (provided by Element and located in your event settings)
Custom domain (use a CNAME such as
events.elementu.edu)Domain information is covered later in this article.
Events Calendar Page
Events Calendar Page
Purpose
The Calendar View Page provides prospective attendees with a monthly calendar view of your events, offering an alternative to the traditional list format on your Events Site.
Each event is hyperlinked for quick access to its Event Details Page.
Access:
This page is not automatically linked in your navigation menu.
Access it by appending
/calendarto your Events Site URL (e.g., events.fireuniversity.edu/calendar).Share the direct link or add it as a menu item in your Events Site menu.
Event Details Page
Event Details Page
Purpose
Dedicated page for event-specific information such as date, time, spots available, and registration form.
Includes a listing of all upcoming dates/times for that event.
Access:
Events Site
Dedicated URL (open the page to view and copy the URL)
Event Series Details Page (only if the event is part of a series)
Event Series Page
Event Series Page
Purpose
Main listing of all public event series
You can customize the event series header introduction text separately for each Event Site you configure.
Access:
Dedicated URL
Append
/seriesto your Events Site URL
Events Site
Must be manually added as a menu item
Event Details Page (Deep link)
Only if that event is part of a series will that series be linked
Event Series Details Page
Event Series Details Page
Purpose
Dedicated page for event series-specific information such as date range, description, and spots available).
Includes a listing of each upcoming event associated with that series, which links to each individual event details page for details and registration.
Access:
Event Series Page URL
Dedicated URL (open the page to view and copy the URL)
Configuring your Event Sites
Element451 supports multiple Event Sites, each with its own customizations, including logos, domains, menu configuration, and more. To begin setting up or editing your Event Site settings:
Navigate to Engagement > Events > Event Sites. This will display a list of existing Event Sites.
To add a new Event Site, click + Create Site in the header.
To edit a site’s configuration, click the site name or click the three dots at the right end of the row and select Edit.
To delete a site, click the three dots at the right end of the row for the site you wish to remove and select Delete.
General Site Settings
The general tab includes most Event Site configurations including branding settings, navigation + access, series, event filters and more.
Logos
You can upload two versions of a logo for use on your site: one for the header and another for the page footer.
Header
Header
The header logo is displayed at the top of your Events Site, and the header of email messages sent using the Events module.
💡When selecting your header logo, consider the following:
The logo is placed against a background of your institution's primary color, so the logo color should be chosen accordingly.
The logo displays up to 60 px high and 200 px wide.
The logo can be in .jpg or .png format.
Footer
Footer
The footer logo is displayed at the bottom of your Events Site, and the footer of email messages sent using the Events module.
💡 When selecting your footer logo, consider the following:
The logo is placed against a white or light-grey background and should have a color that will work well with a light background. We recommend using your primary color as long as it provides proper visibility.
The footer logo displays up to 200 px high and 200 px wide.
The logo can be in .jpg or .png format.
Billboard
The billboard highlights your featured events at the top of your Events Site. By default, it uses the event’s photo with a gradient overlay in a color of your choice.
Set the gradient overlay color but selecting Billboard from the lefthand menu and click on the circle to set the gradient color.
Thank You Note
The "Thank You Note" displays on-screen after event registration.
It has two parts: the heading and the text. As you can see in the screenshot below, the heading is in a larger font size than the text.
It’s not event-specific, meaning it will display for ALL events. Therefore, you should aim to keep it generic.
Event-specific communication is facilitated through Event Messages, such as confirmation and reminder emails and text messages, which are customized when editing your event.
How-To: Add Thank You Note
How-To: Add Thank You Note
Navigate to Engagement > Events > Event Settings.
Click Thank You Note
from the lefthand menu.Add your heading.
Add your text.
Your changes are automatically saved.
The Thank You Note is displayed for all events on this event site and is not event-specific. Event-specific communication is facilitated through Event Messages, such as confirmation and reminder emails and text messages, which are customized when editing your event.
Menus
Menu items are essentially the navigation for your Event Sites. The links are displayed above the header as the main menu and also in the footer of your Events Site and all other pages within the site (event details, series, etc.).
Menu Examples
Menu Examples
Header Menu
Adding your Events Site to the menu will create a small home icon next to the link in the header. This icon helps visitors navigate back to the home page or, as we refer to it, your Events Site (see screenshot above).
If you add external URLs, they will be marked with an external URL icon
(see screenshot above).
Footer Menu
If you wish, you can hide the footer navigation menu in Footer settings.
What Can I Link?
What Can I Link?
You can link any URL in menu items, whether they are internal or external.
Notes on Internal Event Site URLs
Event Site: Your event site acts as your "home page."
By default, clicking on your header logo will return visitors to your Events Site. However, if you want to add an additional way for users to get back to the Events Site (All Events), you can add it as a menu item.
To link your events site, use
/as the URL. In doing this, a home icon will automatically appear, indicating to users that it's the home page.
Event Pages: The Events Site has a few dedicated pages that we don't add automatically, but you have the option to add them if you choose:
Events Calendar: To link your calendar view, use
/calendaras the URL.
Event Series: To link your series page, use
/seriesas the URL.
Event Details Page: To link to a specific event page, copy the end of the page URL starting with
/event. This is a great way to add increased visibility to a large, upcoming event, like an open house.
Notes on External URLs
You are permitted to add external links as menu items (like your institution's website). However, please note the following:
External URLs must include the
HTTPS://in the URL.External URLs are marked with a designed icon (box with arrow).
How-To: Add Menu Items
How-To: Add Menu Items
Click Menus
from the lefthand menu.Click the + Add Menu from the bottom of the list
Configure the Settings:
Label: The text that will display for the link.
URL: The link destination.
Remember to include
https://in external URLs.Examples:
/for your Event Site homepage./seriesfor your Event Series Page./calendarfor the Calendar View.
How-To: Change, Remove or Reorder Menu Items
How-To: Change, Remove or Reorder Menu Items
Adding a Menu Item
Click Menus
from the lefthand menu.Manage your Menu items as listed below:
Managing Existing Menu Items
To edit a Menu Item, click the pencil
icon.To remove a Menu Item, click the trash can
icon.To reorder a Menu Item, click and drag using the double arrow
icon to the desired placement in the list.
Footer
The footer appears on every page of your Event Site and offers customization options:
Show Navigation in Footer: Show or hide the footer menu links.
Footer Text: If you want to display any text, enter it here. Typical uses include contact information, address, social media links, etc.
Event Series
This setting allows you to manage the introductory text on your main Event Series Page on this site. For each site you can to tailor how you introduce the collection of event series to your audience.
Show Intro Description: Choose to display or hide the introductory description text for your central event series page.
Add or Edit the Text: Enter your content in the Description Text field to add or modify the intro text. Changes are saved automatically as you type.
Messenger
Toggle the Element451 Messenger on if you want to enable Bolt Agents or live staff to communicate with site visitors via live chat. When enabled, you can choose from three color options for the chat icon.
Domains
Primary Domain
Element451 automatically assigns your Events Site a primary domain and can not be edited. It will look something like this: abcd.event451.sites.451.io. You can find your Events Site primary domain by selecting Domains from the lefthand menu when modifying an event site.
External Domain
While the primary domain URL is functional, it doesn't share the same institutional brand identity and trust as a URL ending in .edu. To that end, you can configure an external domain to mask or hide the primary domain and use a URL ending in your school name or abbreviation. You'll likely need to work with your IT or website team for this process.
Each site can have its own external domain.
Event Filters
Event Sites use dynamic filters to determine which events appear on a given site. Select the Event Categories and/or Event Types you want displayed on your site.
💡Things to keep in mind when managing your event filters:
Newly published events that match your selected filters will automatically appear on your site.
Events can appear on multiple event sites if they meet the filter criteria for each site.
All selections function as an OR operator. This means an event only needs to match one selected category or type to be included.
To prevent the unintended inclusion of events, newly created Event Types or Event Categories are not automatically added to any site. They must be manually added to any site where they should appear.
Filtering will only apply when 1 or more types or categories are selected. When no filters are selected, all events are displayed.
All Events Tab
On this tab you'll find a full listing of Events that currently match your selected Category and Type filters. Events listed as Published will appear publicly on this event site.
To edit an event you can click on the event name.
Featured Events Tab
On this tab, you’ll find events marked as Featured. Published Featured Events appear in the billboard carousel in the header of your site.
Only Featured Events that are published and match the site’s type and category filters will appear in the billboard.
You can reorder your Featured Events by clicking and dragging the “=” icon.
We recommend selecting 2–3 Featured Events, and no more than 5 events in total.
Other Important Event Sites Details
Events Site Login
Event Site login is designed to streamline the login process for students visiting your events site.
The login experience is part of our Universal Login, which provides a consistent sign-in experience across Event Sites, Application Sites, Appointment Booking Sites, and StudentHub.
Login methods are controlled in your system settings and can be enabled or disabled based on your institution’s preferences.
Logging in ensures students and other known Element451 users can easily access their event registrations. It also allows them to register for events requiring authentication/login to register.
Finding Events on the Event Site
Visitors to your Event Sites have several tools available to help them find specific events on your public site, including:
Search: Use the search bar to quickly locate events by keyword.
Date Filters: Visitors can filter events by start and end dates (inclusive).
Categories: Event Categories act like tags for events. Each event can have one or more categories assigned, allowing visitors to filter events based on their interests.
Venues: The Venue list is automatically generated from the locations of your upcoming events. There is no separate venue list to manage—it is compiled from the locations specified on individual events.