How to Import Events into Modern Events Calendar with WP Event Aggregator
Modern Events Calendar (MEC) is great at showing events. Getting them in is the slow part. Every event needs a title, dates, an image, an organizer, a location with a map pin… and if you list events from Eventbrite, Facebook or Meetup, you are doing that data entry twice.
The WPEA Modern Events Calendar Addon removes that step. It adds Modern Events Calendar as a destination in WP Event Aggregator, so any event you import can be created straight inside MEC, organizers and locations included.
Here is the whole setup, start to finish. Keep the addon documentation handy if you want a second reference.
Quick Start in Five Steps
- Install the required plugins (listed below).
- Activate your addon license.
- Connect the source you want, such as Eventbrite.
- Open that source’s import tab and choose Modern Events Calendar under Import Into.
- Pick a category, set a status and run the import.
That is really all there is to it. The sections below fill in the details.
What You Need
The addon is a bridge, so a few plugins have to be active first:
- WP Event Aggregator
- WP Event Aggregator Pro
- Modern Events Calendar Lite (free) or Modern Events Calendar Pro
- The WPEA Modern Events Calendar Addon itself
Both MEC Lite and MEC Pro work, so you do not have to upgrade MEC just for this. If anything is missing, the addon shows a notice in your dashboard that tells you what to install.
Activate the License
Go to WP Event Aggregator → Modern Events Calendar Addon License and paste in your key. This keeps the addon updated.
Choose Where Your Events Come From
Because the addon sits on top of WP Event Aggregator, every source it supports can feed MEC. Here are the main ones and the ways you can import from each:
| Source | Import by |
|---|---|
| Eventbrite | Event ID, Organizer ID, Collection ID |
| Event ID, Facebook Page | |
| Meetup | Event ID, Group URL |
| iCal | .ics file, iCal URL, Outlook Calendar |
The Pro plugin also adds a CSV, XML, JSON import for bulk files. Eventbrite, Facebook and Meetup need a quick connection in WP Event Aggregator → Settings (an API token or app credentials). iCal needs nothing at all. The WP Event Aggregator documentation walks through each connection.
Send Events into MEC
Open the tab for your source. Under Import Into you will now see Modern Events Calendar. Select it, then set:
- Event category. Pick one of your MEC categories.
- Event status. Imported events come in as pending unless you choose something else. Pending is a handy default because you can review events before they go live.
Run it once, or schedule it. Scheduled imports can run hourly, twice daily, daily, weekly or monthly, which is how you keep a calendar full without touching it.
Three Setups That Work Well
- A venue’s events page. Import the venue’s Facebook Page on a schedule, and its new events appear in your MEC calendar as they are announced.
- A promoter you follow. Import an Eventbrite Organizer ID and every event from that organizer lands in MEC.
- A club or council calendar. Paste its iCal URL and pull the whole feed into MEC.
What Lands Where in MEC
This is the part MEC users usually care about most. The addon does not dump everything into the event description. It fills MEC’s own fields:
| From the source | In Modern Events Calendar |
|---|---|
| Title and description | Event title and content |
| Start and end date and time | MEC start and end date and time, plus the all-day setting |
| Event image | Featured image |
| Organizer | A MEC organizer, with name, email, phone, website and image when the source has them |
| Venue | A MEC location, with the full address, map coordinates and link when available |
| Category | The MEC category you chose in the import form |
| Original event link | Stored with the event |
Organizers and locations are created for you the first time they appear, and reused after that, so you will not end up with the same venue listed fifty times. If a source has no organizer or venue, MEC falls back to its default ones.
Bonus: Eventbrite Tickets Right on the Event Page
If you import from Eventbrite, you can show the ticket checkout under the event. Go to the Eventbrite settings in WP Event Aggregator and tick Display ticket option after event. You can choose between a non-modal checkout and a popup checkout widget.
The addon then adds the ticket section to the bottom of the single event page in MEC, so visitors can buy without leaving your site.
Good to Know Before You Import
- Single events only. Each imported event is created as one event. Repeating events from a source are not set up as MEC recurring events.
- Tags are not imported. Categories, organizers and locations are, but event tags are not carried over.
- New events get MEC’s default colour (a golden yellow). You can change it in MEC afterwards.
- Re-importing. Events that are already on your site are skipped unless you turn on Update existing events for that source in the settings. Turn it on if you want changes from the source to come through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does it work with the free Modern Events Calendar?
Yes. Both MEC Lite and MEC Pro are supported.
Do I need WP Event Aggregator Pro?
Yes. The addon needs WP Event Aggregator Pro as well as the free core plugin.
Will organizers and locations be created automatically?
Yes. They are created as MEC organizers and locations and assigned to each imported event.
Are featured images imported?
Yes. The event image from the source becomes the featured image of the MEC event.
Can I import automatically?
Yes. Use a scheduled import and choose how often it should run.
Will events go live straight away?
Only if you want them to. They default to pending, and you can pick another status in the import form.
Wrapping Up
Once the plugins are active and your source is connected, the whole routine is: choose a source, select Modern Events Calendar under Import Into, pick a category and import. Start with one event to see how it looks in MEC, then move to organizer, page or calendar feed imports and put them on a schedule.
For more, see the Modern Events Calendar addon docs and the WP Event Aggregator docs, or visit the WPEA Modern Events Calendar Addon page and the WP Event Aggregator page.
