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Event Organiser

By Stephen Harris

E-commerce & Shopping /

Reviewed by Omar Dabbas

Trusted WordPress expert with 20+ years of experience evaluating plugins for the WP ecosystem.

Event Organiser Review - In-Depth Analysis

Event Organiser allows you to create and manage events on your WordPress site. It supports complex recurring events, venue management, and integrates with Google Maps.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.87/10

User Rating

4.6/5 (based on 140+ reviews)

Active Installations

20,000+

Update Frequency

Average It is calculated using the weighted average of same category plugins.

Security Score

5 / 10 (Medium Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

Event Organiser adds event management that integrates well with your WordPress site. By using WordPress' in-built custom post type, this plugin allows you to create events that have the same functionality as posts, while adding further features that allow you to manage your events. This includes the possibility of repeating your event according to complex schedules and assigning your events to venues.

This can all be done through an intuitive user interface, which allows you to view your events in the familiar WordPress list or in a calendar page in the admin area. The plugin also supports venue management with Google Maps integration, allowing you to create and maintain venues for your events.

With features like calendar widgets, event lists, and shortcodes, you can easily display your events on your site. The plugin also supports custom permissions, allowing you to specify which roles can create, edit, or delete events. Additionally, you can export and import events to and from ICAL files, making it easy to manage your event data.

Comparing to Alternatives

Event Organiser is a popular event management plugin with several alternatives available that offer similar functionalities for event registration, ticketing, and calendar management.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Simple and effective event calendar with color-coded categories
Supports importing events from ICS files
Works well with OpenStreetMap integration
High user satisfaction with 84% 5-star ratings
Offers a pro version with additional features

Weaknesses

Compatibility issues with PHP 8 and latest WordPress versions reported
Limited ability to change dates, times, or copy events in some cases
Some users report bugs affecting event management
Security vulnerabilities have been identified and partially fixed

User Sentiment Analysis

With a strong majority of 5-star reviews (84%) and an overall rating of 4.6, users generally appreciate the plugin's functionality and ease of use. However, about 8% of ratings are 1-2 stars, highlighting some significant issues.

Positive highlights

"So far, so good. Very simple needs met easily." – Anonymous
"Good plugin works as it should work." – pgierak
"What a great plugin! Finally one that works perfectly with OSM." – Rovanov

Common complaints

Does not work with PHP 8
Cannot change dates or times for events
Cannot copy events or exclude dates within repeating events
Plugin icon not shown after installation on latest WordPress

Weaknesses

Reported bugs affecting event management features
Compatibility issues with newer PHP and WordPress versions
Security vulnerabilities with medium severity

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users seeking a straightforward event calendar plugin with basic event management and color-coded categories, especially those who need OpenStreetMap integration.

Not ideal for

Users running the latest PHP 8 or WordPress versions who require advanced event editing features or are concerned about recent security vulnerabilities.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version offers essential event calendar features including event creation, categorization, and ICS import functionality.

Pro version

Premium features typically include enhanced event management capabilities, additional integrations, and priority support.

Final Verdict

Event Organiser is a well-regarded plugin that meets basic to intermediate event management needs with a user-friendly interface and strong positive feedback. Its ability to import events and work with mapping services adds to its appeal.

However, users should be cautious of compatibility issues with PHP 8 and the latest WordPress versions, as well as known security vulnerabilities. Those needing advanced features or running updated environments may want to consider alternatives or wait for further updates.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free Event Organiser plugin.

Event management

Recurring events

Venue management

Events calendar

Google Maps integration

Screenshots

FAQ

Events behave very similarly to standard posts. To create a event, select the ‘Add New’ submenu from ‘Events’ menu. The chief difference between events and post is the ‘Event Details’ metabox which sets the date and venue data related to the event.

You can also add events in the Calendar view in a manner similiar to Google Calendar. By selecting one (or multiple) days (in month mode) or times (in week/day mode) you can create an event that spans the selected period.

If clicking on the ‘next’ month causes the page to reload – the javascript has not been loaded. This is usually because the theme does not call wp_footer in the footer.

If the calendar simply does not respond this is usually because your theme does not allow widgets to add their own ID and classes. Somewhere in the theme folder your theme will make use of register_sidebar() (probably in functions.php. It should look something like:

register_sidebar(array(   'name' => __( 'Side bar name' ),   'id' => 'sidebar-id',   'description' => __( 'Widget area description' ),   'before_title' => '<h1>',   'after_title' => '</h1>',   'before_widget' => '<div id="%1$s" class="widget %2$s">',   'after_widget' => '</div>', ));

Notice the %1$s and %2$s in the before_widget argument. These allow the widget to add their own ID and classes to the widget. If your theme does not use class="widget %2$s" (they should!) the month navigation for the widget calendar will not work.

If you are still unable to determine the cause of the problem, or how to fix, please use the plug-in forums with a link to your site and I’ll take a look.