All events listed on the University of Rhode Island Events Calendar must be associated with the university. Examples include programs hosted by schools or colleges, events associated with recognized student groups, or large public events at university venues. Event submissions will be reviewed by the calendar coordinator before they are posted. Consequently, it is preferable to submit items at least two weeks in advance of the event. During the review process, submissions will be checked for spelling, clarity, conciseness and appropriateness, and are generally approved within two days. A cheat sheet has been created to assist with event submission.
If you represent an academic department, organization, or student group that does not have a calendar administrator, you may submit your event through our online event submission form. To submit an event, you must be logged into events.uri.edu. If you are a new user, your account will be provisioned the first time you login.
Featured Events
Featured events are displayed on the landing page of the calendar in a rotating slideshow. Designation as a featured event is at the discretion of Communications and Special Programs staff. Bear in mind featured events may be updated frequently, and we cannot guarantee how long your event will be featured on the calendar landing page.
Submission Best Practices
Posting an event online will help draw people to your event. Make sure that you make the most of this opportunity. Below are a few best practices for submitting your event.
Titles
When writing your title, make sure it can stand alone and people will get an understanding of what the event is, if only the title is displayed. Some view formats of the calendar will display only the title without the description.
Description
We recommend putting the most important information near the top, and concentrate on why people will want to come to your event. Most readers skim the first few sentences.
If you are pasting text from another document, make sure you paste plain text to ensure inadvertent formatting doesn’t accidentally get carried over to the event description. Try Shift + Option + Command + V on a Mac or Ctrl + Shift + V on a Windows computer. If you are having trouble, another method to try would be to paste your content into a text editor such as Notepad or Text Edit to remove formatting and then paste it into the calendar description.
Don’t use special formatting other than bolds and italics. Only bold words that are very important for people to see if they are skimming. Avoid using underlines, as site visitors will mistake underlined text for links. Do not use all caps (except for acronyms) since this is not accessible.
Do:
- Keep sentences and paragraphs short and easy to scan.
- Double check your spelling.
- Provide links to relevant content, linking words that accurately describe the linked page instead of pasting a raw URL.
- Spell out acronyms that may be unfamiliar to most audiences.
- Indicate if RSVP is required. Add a registration link on the Tickets & Registration tab to trigger an RSVP button on your event page.
Don’t:
- Underline important words, instead use bold.
- Say “Click Here” Instead, link descriptive words.
- Paste raw URLs, instead link descriptive words.
Filters
The Event Calendar uses a lot of filters so people can sort through all of URI ‘s events and pick the activities they’re interested in. Make sure to select all of the filters that apply to your event.
Images
Upload images that appropriately convey your event such as portraits of speakers or photos of venues.
We’ve found that event photos look best when provided in a landscape (horizontal) orientation at least 800 pixels wide. Larger photos are encouraged when available – the system will automatically rescale them as appropriate.
Do not include images that may be offensive, inappropriate or in violation of copyright laws or university policies. Images should be appropriate for the event being submitted.