Author Archive

MailChimp Integration Now Available for Event Espresso 4

Puzzle

Event Espresso MailChimp IntegrationThe MailChimp Integration add-on for EE4 is now available. This integration makes it quick and easy to add subscribers (your attendees/registrants) to any LIST or GROUP from any of your events.

The integration between EE4 and MailChimp is unique, in that you can select which fields you want to transfer from Event Espresso to MailChimp. For example, if you provide events for children, instead of asking for and transferring (merging) the child’s email address, you can ask for the parent’s email address in a custom question field and transfer (merge) that custom question field answer to the MailChimp list or group.

We’re proud of this MailChimp add-on for EE4 and hope you like it too.

Customers who have access to the MailChimp Integration for Event Espresso 3 also have access to the MailChimp Integration for Event Espresso 4. If you have questions about this please contact the sales team.

Posted in Event Marketing | No Comments »

Feature Spotlight: Using Datetime and Ticket Names to Consolidate Event Pages

In Event Espresso 4, if you manage the online event registration and ticketing for a category of events (e.g. volunteering opportunities or an on-going writing workshop) you can configure ONE event page and let the multiple datetime and multiple ticket names specify the different dates and ticket options.

Configuring your events this way allows you to:

  • have one event page with a specific url where you can refer people to time and time again via email or over the phone or in social media, etc
  • Optimize this special event page for your particular type of event to increase your search engine optimization ranking and ticket sales
  • Present more volunteering/purchasing options to people at once rather than making them view multiple pages or check out/purchase multiple times

Here is an example of this strategy with all the upcoming volunteering opportunities for a non-profit organization.

In this case your organization offers multiple types of volunteering opportunities that occur on different dates. Once you have configured your event registration and ticketing for these similar types of events, your potential customers/attendees/volunteers will be presented with all the volunteering opportunities on ONE page. This is what the front-end would look like (click to enlarge).

You can only get this type of control with Event Espresso. 

Multiple events registration datetime tickets wordpress one page

Take a look at this Event Espresso 4 tutorial if you want to see how it’s done.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Product & News | No Comments »

Instant web notifications now available from EventEspresso.com

Today we released a new way to stay in touch with the important news and updates from Event Espresso. Leveraging the Roost web notification service, Mac OSX users can get instant updates about news from Event Espresso right to their desktop.

When you visit EventEspresso.com on a Mac with OSX AND while using the Safari web browser you will be presented with the opportunity to subscribe:

Image

Currently, you must visit EventEspresso.com using Mac OSX AND the Safari browser to initiate the notification invitation process. Roost is working on support for FireFox and Chrome. https://goroost.com/try-chrome-push-notifications

Web notifications from Event Espresso will be presented on your desktop according to your Notification Settings (Preferences > Notifications).

Image

If you miss a desktop alert then the Event Espresso announcement will be available in your notification panel.

Image

We hope you find this a convenient way of staying up-to-date with Event Espresso. If you have any questions, feel free to comment below or contact us.

Posted in Product & News | 1 Comment »

Release Update: Event Espresso 4.2.6.p

An update for Event Espresso 4 is now available. Event Espresso 4.2.6.p offers one enhancement and 13 fixes.

Please backup your WordPress before making any changes.

Enhancements

  • Add option to show events from all categories in the Upcoming Events widget

Bugfixes

  • Upcoming events widget formatting, remove extra line breaks and spacing, defaults of false not selecting
  • Preview button not showing for regular WordPress post-types
  • Logo Sizes in Order Confirmation PDF
  • Clarifying that the “skip migrations” = “reset database and delete old data”
  • indexOf(s) is not a function
  • Event Access Information under Ticket Details shows “Remaining” but that heading no longer exists
  • Fix date display in content-espresso_events-header.php to allow for translation
  • Themes that use “get_the_excerpt()” instead of “the_excerpt()” are missing EE content.
    Please note many of the headings in the event templates of prior versions have been removed as part of the work done in this ticket
  • Move to Trash Link in Venues Editor allows you to Delete Locked Venues
  • Arabica 2014 – change category icon from “tags” to “category”
  • EE4 Core 4.1 DMS crashing during events_Question_group stage
  • Fix error on sorting venues by ID in venue list table
  • Fix errors getting hidden by try catch block
For a complete history of the updates and changes to EE4 and the EE4-compatible add-ons, see the entire EE4 Changelog.

Posted in Product & News | 2 Comments »

New Themes Integrated with EE4 from Event Manager Blog

The theme developers at Event Manager Blog have added compatibility for EE4 into their gorgeous premium event themes, Fudge, Januas, Tyler, and Vertoh. If you’re in the market for a premium WordPress event theme, we’d recommend you check these out.

Fudge

Fudge allows you to display your event on a single, stylish scrollable page without compromising on functionalities and advanced performer and session management. Perfect for conference website template for Meetings, Annual Events, Workshops, Seminars.

fudge

Januas

If you plan multiple events a year, Januas is the perfect solution to display all of your conferences, seminars, meetings or workshops under one roof. You can easily categorize each event and feature events on your homepage.

januas

Tyler

Tyler is a powerful event WordPress theme that offers all the features you need in an event website. Dedicated Speaker and Schedule page, and Social media integration. Perfect for large meetings, conferences and annual events.

tyler

Vertoh

Vertoh offers conferences and exhibitions a unique bundle of features to fit any type and size of event. You can add or remove sections to fit your conference/exhibition style.

vertoh2

Using Event Espresso 4 with Fudge, Januas, Tyler and Vertoh

Event Manager Blog has tried to keep the integration with EE4 as easy as possible. All that is required is that you configure your event and use the event-specific shortcode in one location.

Here’s the easy-to-follow documentation on using EE4 with Fudge and Tyler.

Check out these premium themes. We think you’ll like what you see.

Are you a theme developer?

Here a few resources  to assist theme developers who want to integrate with EE4:

 

Posted in Product & News | 1 Comment »

Prices Increase June 1, 2014

Price-Increase-500x218

In the December 2013 newsletter, we mentioned that our plugin prices would be increased in 2014. However, we’ve been so focused on building, testing and releasing EE4 (with 50+ features) that we’re just now finally able to make the official announcement (six months later).

It has been nearly two years since we have raised prices. By sharing Event Espresso with your friends and colleagues you have helped us grow and keep prices low. As you continue to share Event Espresso with others, it might be another two years before prices are increased.

We understand that no one likes higher prices for things, so out of respect to our customers, we want to be transparent and give you three ways to get greater value and choice.

So, please keep in mind that Event Espresso is an open source and mostly community based project. The revenue that comes from support license sales goes right back into the project and helps to provide for our families, as we work to add new features and maintain and support the ever expanding codebase.

We hope you see this announcement as fair and respectful. The following changes take effect June 1, 2014:

An 11% Increase for EE3 Support License, 25% Increase for EE3 Add-ons

In general, the core EE3 Support Licenses prices will be increased by 11% while the EE3 Add-on prices will increase by 25%. As always, we try to offer you the best value which is why we left the Support License prices as low as possible.

We see your purchase of Event Espresso as an investment that funds the development of new features and improvements to the quality of the product. We know Event Espresso users can save time and make more money by using Event Espresso than without EE–and we have heard this from many users. However, some customers may feel the new EE3 plugin prices are too high, and we understand that sentiment. In that case, we encourage customers who need a lower-priced option to take a look at Event Espresso 4 which is priced at about 50% less and includes more (just not identical) features than EE3.

EE3 Support Licenses 2013 ($) 2014 ($)
EE3 Personal 89.95 99.95
EE3 Business 179.95 199.95
EE3 Developer 499.95 549.95
EE3 Add-ons 2013 ($) 2014 ($)
Custom Templates (CTA) 15.00 19.95
CTA – Accordion 15.00 19.95
CTA – Date Range 15.00 19.95
CTA – Grid 15.00 19.95
CTA – Recurring 15.00 19.95
CTA – Table 15.00 19.95
CTA – Vector 20.00 19.95
Custom Files 34.95 39.95
Groupon 24.95 29.95
Infusionsoft 59.95 69.95
MailChimp 24.95 34.95
Multiple Events 39.95 49.95
Permissions Basic 59.95 69.95
Permissions Pro 99.95 119.95
Recurring Events 39.95 49.95
Seating Chart 249.95 299.95
Ticketing 149.95 179.95
WP User Integration 34.95 39.95

 

What about EE4 prices?
While “in Beta”, Event Espresso 4 Beta will be discounted significantly (approx. 50%). As the EE4 Beta matures to a “stable” development status, the price will rise. Those who purchase at this discounted rate are still entitled to 12 months of support and upgrades.

Buy/Renew before June 1 to Get The Lower Rates

You can take advantage of this notification period (the time between this announcement and June 1 when prices change), to buy a Support License or renew your current support license to extend it an additional 12 months.

  • New customers can buy now to save 11% off their first Support License (rather than pay more after prices increase).
  • Existing customers can renew now to save 36%-61% (rather than renew after the prices increase). We have triggered the renewal process for all existing customers who have purchased in the last three (3) months. You should have received an email with the links to help you renew, or you can look for the renewal buttons from your EventEspresso.com Account page. If your account does not expire in the next three (3) months but you want to renew, then please contact us.

More Power and Choice with Event Espresso 4

If you’ve taken some time to install or demo EE4 (which you can do for free at demoee.org), you will notice that EE4 is a real advancement. EE4 has many of the new features that you have been requesting. EE4 also has a new interface, data structure and coding method; not to mention a significantly lower price than EE3.

If you were not already aware, EE4 core is available to existing EE3 customers. Today we’re also announcing that customers who purchase an EE3 support package will have access to the equivalent add-ons in EE4 (based on availability). This means that if you have access to an add-on for EE3 and we release that same add-on for EE4, you will also have access to the EE4 add-on for free as part of your EE3 support license. This offer will be available as long as the prices for the EE4 support licenses and add-ons are less than the equivalent EE3 support licenses and add-ons. We’re more concerned that you have access to the solution that can best meet your needs.

Please note that regardless of your access to EE3 or EE4, your support license only entitles you to upgrades and support for one website (regardless of the version you are using).

If you’ve not already read, we have A New Direction for the Event Espresso 4 Support Licenses. This new direction will allow you to purchase and renew only the products you need and want. We do intend to offer package discounts in the future, but our core EE4 Support License will offer you more flexibility now.

We aim to be respectful and transparent and help you be successful in your event business. We hope that the new pricing structure is easy to follow, but if you have any questions or comments, please contact us or comment below.

We’re excited about the future for Event Espresso and are continually re-investing time, money, and energy to improve our product and save you time and money in return. Your support makes all this possible, and for that we thank you.

Posted in Product & News | 2 Comments »

LearnDash (a Learning Management System) is Now Integrated with Event Espresso 4

 

Front-Page-Image-version-2-2014-500x173

Today we are excited to announce that LearnDash, an elearning platform for WordPress, is now integrated with EE4. LearnDash is a Learning Management System (LMS) designed for selling and delivering e-learning courses from your WordPress site. With the LearnDash-Event Espresso add-on, you can now easily associate any offline event with one or more online courses. After signing-up for an event in Event Espresso, users are automatically enrolled into your course(s) of choice – a great way for offering online training content in conjunction with your live event!

Features

  • Easily map an event to a course: When creating your event, simply select the course you want to associate with the product.
  • Associate one, or many, courses: You can associate as many courses as you like to a single Event Espresso event. A registrant will be enrolled into applicable courses immediately after signing up for your event.
  • Drip-feed course content leading up to an event: Leveraging the LearnDash drip-sequence feature, your event attendees can be delivered valuable training content leading up to the live event.
  • Works with any Event Espresso payment gateway: Choose any payment gateway for selling your course, it will also work for free events.

How to Use the LearnDash Add-on

1. Purchase and activate Event Espresso Version 4. 2. Download the LearnDash-Event Espresso Add-on from the LearnDash support site. Once downloaded, upload the integration via Plugins > Add New. After uploading, there is no configuration necessary. The integration will create a new “LearnDash” menu option under the Advanced Settings so that you can associate your event with LearnDash courses.

LearnDash setting in EE4.

LearnDash setting in EE4.

3. Once you publish an event with an associated course(s), registered site users will be auto-enrolled into the course(s) once signing-up for an Event Espresso event.

Download and Purchase Info

This Add-on is available for free to all LearnDash customers. To purchase the LearnDash plugin, please visit the LearnDash website.

 

 

Posted in Product & News | 5 Comments »

Website Outages April 16, 2014

What happened?

At approximately 1pm EST the EventEspresso.com website host, HostGator experienced a network outage. HostGator guarantees 99.9% uptime with all their dedicated servers which means that our website server should not be down (unexpectedly) for more than 9 hours the entire year—but yesterday alone our server was down for more than 12 hours!

During website outages, such as this, please follow us on Twitter for updates.

We know this was really bad timing for everyone. Just 10 hours earlier we released Event Espresso 4.2 and  began sending email notifications to users to download the update. We apologize for the interruptions and inconvenience this caused. We are taking actions to try and ensure something like this doesn’t happen again.

Going Forward

HostGator use to be very reliable, but the recent disruptions (this was not the first, nor the second interruption)  indicate that we can not rely on them for the level of service we need for EventEspresso.com (99.9%+ up-time). Within the next 30 days we intend to move EventEspresso.com to a new hosting service that has a better infrastructure to meet those types of expectations and guarantees. Our hope is that any downtime in the future is intentional and/or scheduled.

This means that there will be some additional disruptions as we go through the process of changing hosts. However, we hope these disruptions are intentional, controlled, and relatively brief. Once we have made the full transition to another host we expect that you will find that the EventEspresso.com website loads faster and is more reliable.

Thank you for your patience, and please pardon the construction as we change the filters on the Event Espresso machine.

Posted in Product & News | 9 Comments »

A New Direction For the Event Espresso 4 Support Licenses

a-new-direction

Since February when we released EE4 without any add-ons, we’ve realized that many people don’t need add-ons (such as the calendar); all they need is the core plugin. These users also do not want to be required to purchase something they do not need. As such, we’ve changed our method of packaging add-ons with the core plugin. The Event Espresso 4 Personal and Developer Licenses will no longer include add-ons. Add-ons can be purchased separately by anyone with at least a Personal Support License (whether EE3 or EE4 Personal Support License).

What is happening to the EE4 Developer License?

The EE4 Developer License is now an even better value. The EE4 Developer License includes five license keys, and more can be added at any time. Plus, when you purchase any of our add-on products, you can use those licenses across any of your active developer sites. This makes the EE4 Developer License more valuable with each add-on you purchase because you get even more great event registration software at a greater discount.

Where is the EE4 Business License?

In the near future we will offer a “Business License” (might be a different name) that is essentially a package that offers “one of everything” at a significantly discounted rate. This will allow event managers to get access to all our great event registration software for a super price. This support license package is yet to released.

These changes make Event Espresso more affordable and accessible to all event managers and WordPress developers.

Posted in Product & News | 15 Comments »

Event Espresso 4.2 and Events Calendar

Now Available!

We’d like to announce that Event Espresso 4.2 and the Events Calendar Add-on are now available. EE 4.2 includes over 60 changes and this is the first release of the Events Calendar Add-on for EE4.

Please note, EE 4.2+ is required before the EE4 Calendar Add-on will work.

Two New Major Features

Support for Mijireh Checkout

mijireh-checkout-largeAnnouncing the ability to integrate with over 90 different gateways and payment providers, using the Mijireh Checkout system! Mijireh Checkout is a PCI compliant checkout page that looks exactly like your site, with support for over 90 gateways and payment providers to use on Mijireh’s secure PCI compliant servers. (see the Payment Settings inside EE 4.2).

Mijireh Checkout helps increase your conversion rates by using your existing website design. Your checkout process remains seamless to your customers while Mijireh Checkout securely handles the collecting and transmitting of the credit card data for you.

Calendar Add-on for EE 4.2+

The Events Calendar allow you to display your events in a way that customers are familiar. Make it easy for your customers to find events and to add your events to their own calendars so they don’t forget!

The EE4 Calendar Add-on includes:

  • Inline calendar images
  • Category filtering
  • Venue filtering
  • Featured images
  • Datetime and format settings
  • Tooltips
  • Color coded categories
  • Better compatibility with themes
  • and much more!

Compatible with most responsive themes

Compatible with most responsive themes

EE4 Events Calendar

EE4 Events Calendar

2014-04-08_01-54-19

Calendar Tooltips

Please note, EE 4.2+ is required before the EE4 Calendar Add-on will work.

Additional Features & Enhancements in EE 4.2

In addition to better out of the box support for themes and plugins, we have added an array of new features. These include drag and drop ordering of tickets in the event editor, ordering of questions within question groups, datetime names and descriptions, and the option to turn off the ticket selector in the event details page, and much more:

  • Added support for Mijireh Checkout
  • Added support for the Calendar Add-on
  • Drag and Drop ordering of tickets in the event editor
  • Order Questions by Question Group (no longer ordering questions by question order)
  • Option to turn OFF the Ticket Selector in the Event Details page for events without tickets/registrations
  • Ability to add/edit Event Datetime Names
  • Ability to add/edit Event Datetime Descriptions
  • Added Event Datetime Name messages shortcode
  • Event Datetime Description messages shortcode
  • Added datetime titles and descriptions to the order confirmation
  • Added front-end “Maintenance Mode” option
  • Added “Register Now” or “View Details” button in the event list when the Ticket Selector is turned off

New Hooks, Filters, and Stuff for Developers

Here are a few more of the new features and cool stuff for developers available in 4.2 and we’d like to invite you to take a look and offer feedback (praises, report bugs, etc.):

  • Hook/Filter to Set No-cost events as “Free”
  • Add filter so the email messenger CSS file can be swapped out by developers for another CSS file
  • Added a hook in the Admin panel after each ticket row description
  • Added a hook in the Admin panel after each ticket create and update model
  • Added hook in the Front-end after each ticket date on a single event
  • Made Single Page Check Out (SPCO) button text filterable
  • Models make acceptance of empty strings more consistent
  • Simplified the EE_System Constructor and Hook point’s to allow for external module/add-on/plugin development
  • EEH_Template::locate_template() to accept full paths as well as relatives paths (from plugin root)
  • Filter for adding caffeinated modules to EE_Config $modules_to_register array
  • Make Single Page Check Out (SPCO) button text filterable

4.2 Screenshots

Re-order tickets EE4

Drag and drop reordering of tickets.

Drag and drop ordering of questions in categories

Drag and drop ordering of questions in categories

Mijireh Event Espresso

Mijireh Checkout settings

2014-04-08_01-50-09

Datetime Editor

Posted in Product & News | 1 Comment »

Event Espresso