How to create and share a subscription calendar
Share multiple events through one calendar subscription
A subscription calendar lets people receive your events in their personal or work calendars and receive later changes when their calendar service refreshes the subscription. Use AddEvent to share an ongoing schedule, add new events, and update existing event details without asking subscribers to save each event separately.
This guide explains how to create your calendar, choose whether to collect subscriber information, and share it on websites, in emails, or through a hosted landing page. For an overview and examples, explore our subscription calendar solution.
How is a calendar subscription different from saving one event?
A calendar subscription creates an ongoing connection to your schedule. Saving a standard individual event adds a copy of that event at the time it is saved.
- Subscribe to a calendar: receive the calendar's events and later additions, changes, and deletions when the calendar service refreshes the subscription.
- Save an individual event: add one event to a calendar without an ongoing connection for future updates.
Use a subscription calendar for schedules such as webinars, classes, community events, or product launches. To share just one event, explore Add to Calendar buttons and links for individual events.
Which calendar sharing method should you use?
Choose a method based on where people discover your schedule and how much information you want them to see before subscribing.
| Where you share | Recommended method | What visitors see |
|---|---|---|
| Website or landing page | Add to Calendar button | A button for choosing a calendar service and subscribing. |
| Email newsletter or campaign | Add to Calendar links | Text or image links for subscribing through a calendar service. |
| Social media, SMS, or a direct message | Calendar landing page | A hosted page with calendar details, upcoming events, and subscription options. |
| Website showing upcoming events as a list | Embeddable events list | An event list and a Subscribe option on your website. |
| Website showing a full calendar view | Embeddable calendar | A browsable event calendar with subscription options where enabled. |
You can use several sharing methods for the same calendar.
How to create a subscription calendar in AddEvent
Create your calendar, add events, and configure the subscriber experience before sharing it.
- Create a calendar in the AddEvent dashboard or through the Calendar API.
- Add events in the dashboard, through the API, or through the Zapier integration. You can also synchronize events from an external calendar.
- Check event titles, dates, times, time zones, and other details.
- Choose whether people can subscribe without completing a form or must provide subscriber information first.
- Choose a sharing method and test the subscription process.
How to import events from an external calendar
Synchronize an external calendar with AddEvent when your events already exist in another service. This lets you share them without copying each event manually.
You need a calendar feed in valid iCalendar (.ics) format. Configure synchronization for your AddEvent calendar using that feed.
Edit synchronized events in the original calendar service. They cannot be edited directly in AddEvent; changes made in the source calendar are synchronized to AddEvent.
Should subscribers complete a form before subscribing?
You can let people subscribe without entering a name or email address, or require them to complete a subscriber form. Choose the option that fits how you manage your calendar audience.
Allow subscriptions without a personal-information form
The anonymous subscription option lets people continue to their calendar service without filling in personal details. AddEvent still records technical subscription data, including IP address, location, calendar service, and synchronization data. Anonymous subscription does not mean that no data is collected.
Collect subscriber information before subscription
Enable subscriber data collection to direct people to the calendar landing page before they subscribe. The default form requires a name and email address.
You can add text, number, email, date, country, and state fields; radio buttons and checkboxes; marketing consent checkboxes; and query-string fields. Keep questions focused on the information you need to manage your audience.
After submitting the required details, visitors must still complete the subscription process in their chosen calendar service.
How to share your subscription calendar
Open your calendar in the AddEvent app to access its sharing options. The steps people follow to subscribe vary by calendar service and device.
Add a calendar subscription button to your website
An Add to Calendar button lets website visitors choose a calendar service and subscribe to your schedule. Once they complete the subscription, your calendar appears in their calendar list and its events become available in their calendar.
If subscriber data collection is enabled, visitors first complete your form on the calendar landing page. Otherwise, they continue to their selected calendar service without that form.
infoHow to install the subscription button
- Open your calendar in the AddEvent app.
- Copy the calendar's Add to Calendar button code snippet.
- Paste it where you want the button to appear. In a website builder, use its HTML embed or custom embed option.
- Preview the page and test the subscription flow.
Customize your subscription button
Adjust the text, icon, language, appearance, and available calendar services. See the Add to Calendar button documentation for templates and configuration options.
Share calendar subscription links in an email
Add to Calendar links let recipients subscribe through text or image links. Use them in emails instead of the JavaScript button, because email clients generally do not support JavaScript.
Recipients select their calendar service and follow its subscription steps. If subscriber data collection is enabled, they complete your subscriber form first.
How to add subscription links to an email
- Open your calendar in the AddEvent app.
- Copy the calendar's Add to Calendar links.
- Paste them into your email editor. For an HTML email template, copy the links' HTML code.
- Send a test email and check the links. If your editor does not preserve image-based links, use text links.
Customize your calendar subscription links
Choose the default image template with calendar service logos or the text template with service names. You can change the visible text or images to match your email design while preserving the subscription URLs.
Share a hosted calendar landing page
A calendar landing page displays your calendar name, description, upcoming events, and subscription options. AddEvent automatically creates and hosts a page for each calendar, so you can share your schedule without building a website.
When subscriber data collection is enabled, visitors use the Follow calendar option to complete your form before choosing a calendar service. Without that form, they can use the Add to Calendar option to begin subscribing.
How to share your calendar landing page
- Open your calendar in the AddEvent app.
- Copy the landing page's standard link or short link.
- Share the link on social media, by SMS, or in a direct message. Use the short link when space is limited.
Customize your calendar landing page
Adjust fonts, colors, language, date and time formats, and images to match your branding. HTML and CSS customization lets you make further changes to the page layout and content.
Embed an upcoming events list on your website
An embeddable events list displays upcoming events on your website and includes a Subscribe option. Visitors can select an event to view its details, save that individual event, or respond through an RSVP form when RSVP is enabled.
Subscribing to the full calendar is separate from saving or registering for an individual event. If you collect subscriber information, visitors complete that form on the calendar landing page before subscribing.
How to install an embeddable events list
- Open your calendar in the AddEvent app.
- Copy the embeddable events list code snippet.
- Paste it into your website where the list should appear. In a website builder, use its HTML embed or custom embed option.
- Preview the list on desktop and mobile, and test its event and subscription options.
Customize your events list
Use Quick customize to adjust available display settings, features, and event behavior. Use HTML and CSS customization for more control over fonts, colors, language, size, and date and time formats.
Display your schedule in a full calendar view
Use an embeddable calendar when you want a full calendar view on your website instead of an upcoming events list. It uses your AddEvent calendar and can offer subscriptions alongside event browsing.
See the embeddable calendar setup guide for installation, customization, mobile display, and multiple-calendar options.
Calendar updates, reminders, and time zones
Review these details before sharing your calendar so subscribers know what to expect.
Do calendar subscriptions update automatically?
Yes. After a person subscribes, changes to event details, dates, and times, along with added or deleted events, become available in their calendar when the calendar service refreshes the subscription.
Updates are not instant. Each calendar service controls how often it checks for changes, and timing varies by service and settings.
If you import events from an external calendar, changes must first synchronize from that source to AddEvent, then reach subscribers through their calendar service's refresh process.
For a last-minute change, notify attendees directly rather than relying only on a subscription update to arrive in time.
Can subscription events include calendar reminders?
You can configure one calendar notification per event and choose how long before the event it should occur. Delivery is controlled by the subscriber's calendar service and settings, so AddEvent cannot guarantee that the reminder will appear.
Some services disable notifications for subscribed calendars. Subscribers may need to enable them in their calendar settings where that option is available.
How are event times displayed across time zones?
Set the correct time zone for each event. Subscribers' calendar services display events according to their calendar time zone settings.
On a hosted calendar landing page, AddEvent uses a visitor's IP-based location estimate to choose the initial display time zone. Visitors can use the time zone selector to choose another time zone if needed.
Does AddEvent support daylight saving time?
Yes. AddEvent supports daylight saving time rules when handling event times. Use the event's intended time zone so events can be displayed correctly across time zones and seasonal clock changes.
Can I anonymize subscriber IP address data?
AddEvent automatically anonymizes IP addresses for users in the European Economic Area (EEA). You can also choose to anonymize this data for all users. This does not remove names, email addresses, or other details submitted through your subscriber form.
Does subscribing to a calendar register someone for its events?
No. A calendar subscription provides an ongoing schedule in the subscriber's calendar. It does not record an RSVP for every event or confirm attendance.
Use online RSVP forms when people need to register for individual events.
Create your first subscription calendar
Get started with AddEvent, add your events, and choose how people will subscribe. Need help with setup or customization? Contact support@addevent.com.