How to Import Eventbrite, Facebook, Meetup and iCal Events into the MeUp Theme

MeUp is a popular marketplace theme for selling tickets and listing events. It looks great out of the box, but a marketplace is only as good as its listings. An empty events page does not attract visitors, and creating every event by hand does not scale, especially if you want to feature events from several organizers.

The WPEA MeUp Event List Addon connects WP Event Aggregator with MeUp’s Event List. Pick a source, choose MeUp as the destination, and your events appear in your theme with the date, venue, organizer and image already filled in.

WP Event Aggregator add-on for MeUp

This guide shows you how to set it up and what to expect after your first import. You can also keep the addon documentation open while you work.How It Works in Three Steps

1. Connect a source such as Eventbrite, Facebook, Meetup or an iCal feed.
2. Choose MeUp Event List under Import Into.
3. Run the import, once or on a schedule, and review the events in MeUp.

What You Need Before You Start

Make sure these are installed and active:

• WP Event Aggregator
• WP Event Aggregator Pro
• MeUp, the Marketplace Events WordPress theme, with its Event List plugin activated
• The WPEA MeUp Event List Addon

The Event List plugin is the important part. The addon looks for it, and if it is missing you will see a notice in your dashboard asking you to activate it. The same goes for WP Event Aggregator and its Pro version.

Step 1: Activate Your License

Go to WP Event Aggregator → WPEA MeUp Event List Addon License and enter your license key. This is how the addon receives updates.

Step 2: Connect Your Event Source

Open WP Event Aggregator → Settings and connect the source you want. Eventbrite, Facebook and Meetup each need a quick connection, such as a token or app credentials. iCal needs nothing, because you only use a calendar link or an .ics file. The WP Event Aggregator documentation explains every connection in detail.

Here is what you can import from each source:

• Eventbrite: by Event ID, Organizer ID or Collection ID.
• Facebook: by Event ID or Facebook Page.
• Meetup: by Event ID or Group URL.
• iCal: from an .ics file, an iCal URL or an Outlook Calendar.

Step 3: Import into MeUp

Open the tab of your source and look for Import Into. Choose MeUp Event List, then:

• Pick the event category your events should be placed in.
• Choose an event status. Imported events arrive as pending unless you pick another status, which is handy for reviewing before publishing.
• Run the import once, or set it as a scheduled import so new events keep arriving on their own.

What You Will See in MeUp

The addon fills MeUp’s own event fields, so your imported events look like events you created by hand:

• Title and description from the source event.
• Date and time. Start and end date and time are saved in MeUp’s event calendar.
• Featured image from the source.
• Category from the one you selected in the import form.
• Venue and map. The venue name, full address and map coordinates are saved, and the venue is added as an event location.
• Organizer. The organizer’s name, phone and email are filled in when the source provides them.
• Ticket link. The original event link is saved as the event’s external ticket link, so visitors can click through to the source page.

Events that have no physical venue, such as online events, are set as online events in MeUp instead of getting a map.

Things Worth Knowing

• Re-importing. Events that are already on your site are skipped, unless you turn on Update existing events for that source. Turn it on if you want changes at the source to come through.
• Single events. Each import creates a single event. Repeating events from a source are not set up as repeating events in MeUp.
• Review first. Because new events default to pending, you can check how they look before they go live.

Who Is This For?

• Marketplace owners who want events from many organizers in one place.
• Event portals that need to stay full without daily manual work.
• Agencies building MeUp sites for clients.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need WP Event Aggregator Pro?

Yes. The addon requires WP Event Aggregator Pro in addition to the free plugin.

Does it work without the MeUp theme?

No. The addon is built for MeUp and its Event List plugin, and it needs them to be active.

Which sources can I use?

Eventbrite, Facebook, Meetup and iCal.

Can events be imported automatically?

Yes. Use a scheduled import and choose how often it should run.

Will imported events be published straight away?

Only if you choose that. They default to pending so you can review them first.

What happens if an event changes at the source?

Turn on Update existing events and import again to bring the changes in.

Wrapping Up

Once the plugins and your source are connected, adding events to MeUp is a three-step habit: choose a source, select MeUp Event List under Import Into, and import. Start with a single event to see how it looks in your theme, then move on to organizer, page or calendar-feed imports and schedule them.

For more, see the MeUp addon docs and the WP Event Aggregator docs, or visit the WPEA MeUp Event List Addon page and the WP Event Aggregator page.