IPS, the company behind Invision Community that we use for this community, just announced an update to the Calendar app. The app will be renamed to Events, which is perfect (and saves me time from renaming all language bits) and it will add new templates as well as integrate with several streaming services.

This will make events even more interesting, especially for the different ACE events that are held locally. Virtual events will not have a quick link, which will be great for members that stream, like Alex from ApeTech Tutorials.

Here are the new features that will come in a release soon.

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Search Events

Search for community events that are located near you. 

Tapping the “use my location” prompt allows your browser to identify your physical location, then shows a list of events that are in close proximity to you. 

Get granular with your search. Filter by general  location, date and/or whether the event is an in-person or online event. 

Maps

When searching, a map is also available for you to see in an instant what community events are happening.

Happening Near You

This section shows a list of events happening near you. It includes a snap shot of the events happening near your physical location, as well as a map of where the event is taking place.

This tailor-made page displays events based on geo-location, so communities with members from all over the world will view and experience the Events page differently. 

If there aren’t any events happening, a message block is displayed instead that says: 

Quote

“We couldn't find any events happening soon near you. Check back later!”

Happening Today
 

On the day of, your event will include a badge to show the entire community the special event is happening.

Online Events

This section displays a list of virtual events within your community. Events are shown in chronological order by date and time.

Browse by month

We extended the search functionality to automatically show both in-person and online events categorized by the month. 

This is particularly useful to plan what events you’d like to attend and also see what’s in the pipeline. 

Event Page

Here's an example of what an Event's page looks like. It includes the event details, a map if it's an in-person event and an “Open Event” linked button for the online events. Optionally members can RSVP or confirm they attended when you request that per event.

Integrations

A particularly useful addition to our new Events application is the inclusion of popular, third-party video streaming platforms. When creating a virtual event in your Events application, you may include a link to your event and the platform will advertise it with the vendor’s logo so your community knows what to expect. When your members are ready to join, choosing the “Open Event” button will set them on their way.

Below is a complete list of platforms that Invision Community’s Events app can showcase (see examples in the screen shots above):

• Zoom
• YouTube
• EventBrite
• On24
• Facebook
• Google
• Webex
• Slack
• Discord
• Microsoft Teams