University Events Calendar Guidelines

The MSU Denver Events Calendar is the central hub for public event listings at MSU Denver. Students, faculty and staff can submit event listings to the calendar through the public submission form.

University Communications and Marketing (UCM) manages the calendar. The UCM calendar admins and designated event administrators across campus review calendar submissions before they are published.

Editorial Rights 

Event listings must meet the calendar’s submission guidelines. UCM reserves the right to edit calendar submissions and reject submissions that don’t adhere to our guidelines. We ensure calendar submissions meet Associated Press writing standards and adhere to the university’s editorial style guidelines. 

Types of Event Listings You Can Submit 

Events submitted to the calendar must have a university sponsor (e.g., college, department, program, division, office, center, institute, club) and be open to members of our campus community and/or the general public. Here are a few examples of the kinds of events you can submit: 

• Performances 

• Lectures 

• Open houses 

• Career fairs 

• Webinars 

• Ceremonies 

Types of Event Listings You Cannot Submit

In most cases, invitation-only events or events for which attendees are limited to exclusive groups — such as members of particular clubs or departments — will only not be accepted to the central calendar. Such events are inappropriate for the University Calendar, which seeks to promote events to a university –wide audience.  

Challenges, requests for information, classes, and save-the-date announcements are also not accepted for publication on the calendar. 
 

Calendar Widget

We encourage campus partners to use a provided calendar widget to display a list or summary of department specific events on your department website. To build a calendar widget, go to the widget page. To learn how to embed a calendar widget onto a University WordPress page visit the embed an event calendar widget tutorial page.
  

Calendar Administrators

MSU Denver unit communicators who have calendar responsibilities can also become event administrators for their units. Event administrators serve as calendar editors and can submit, edit, moderate, and manage event listings for their units. A communicator who wants to become an administrator must attend a short training session and follow the calendar’s submission and publication guidelines.
  

Featured Events

The main University Calendar landing page always presents a featured event at the top of the page in a large clickable box with a large-format photograph. The University calendar editor selects and updates the calendar’s featured events on an ongoing basis.
  

Calendar Dos and Don’ts

Event Listings

Event listings must include the following elements: a description, a location (if in person), a date, a time, and a name and contact information for an event coordinator who can be contacted with any accommodation requests under the Americans With Disabilities Act. If your event requires attendees to register, you must provide a registration link when you submit the event. Virtual events must include a registration form or the link guests will use to access the event when you submit your event. If guests must purchase tickets to attend an event, you must provide the link they will use to do so when you submit your event. If your calendar submission is missing any of this information, the publication of your event listing might be delayed, or the calendar editor may reject your submission.
  

Event Descriptions

Event descriptions should be written in sentence form and should not exceed 250 words. The calendar editor or an event administrator may shorten event descriptions that exceed this limit.

Event Names

Event names are limited to 65 characters. If you see that ellipses follow your event’s name after you submit it, the name is too long. When this happens, edit the name of your event and resubmit it. If you submit an event and the name is too long, the calendar editor or an event administrator may shorten the name for you or ask you to submit a shorter name. 

Event Types

An Event Type is the format of an event. Is your event presented in a conference format? A workshop? A festival or celebration? An information session? Select the most appropriate event type for your event. 

Timely Submissions

Submit your event listing at least 10 days before the event to ensure optimum visibility and engagement.
  

Photographs

All published calendar items will include a photograph. You can submit a photo with your submission, but don’t submit a photo unless you have permission to use it. Please ensure you have the proper permissions to use photos prior to submission. You also cancan also select a photo from the calendar’s photo library or from MSU Denver Photo Library, a free photo library that anyone can use for university-related purposes. If you don’t do not include a photo with your calendar submission, the calendar’s photo fallback system will automatically assign a preloaded MSU Denver photo to your event listing.

For photos that accompany event listings, to meet accessibility standards refrain from publishing flyers or picture files that include text that is meant to convey event-specific details. The calendar editor may make exceptions for assets created by UCM for special university events.  

Photos should be at least 940 x 557 pixels in size. The calendar editor may remove poor-quality photos from your event listing.
  

Canceled, Postponed and Sold-Out Events

If an event sells out or is canceled or postponed, you should update the calendar listing for that event. Do not delete canceled, postponed or sold-out events from the calendar.   

Event administrators can update a calendar listing for an event that has sold out or has been canceled or postponed by going to the Admin Dashboard, searching for that event and then selecting “Canceled,” “Postponed” or “Sold Out” under the “Status” field. After you do this, click “Save Changes” to publish the event.

If you submitted a canceled, postponed or sold-out event to the calendar but you are not an event administrator, go to the calendar, log in, click the arrow at the top of the page, select “Dashboard” and then scroll down until you see the events you have submitted. Click the event you’re looking for, scroll down until you see the “Edit Event” link, and click it. Change the “Status” of your event to “Canceled,” “Postponed” or “Sold Out,” and click “Save Event.”

Endorsements

As a public institution, MSU Denver is not allowed to endorse a third party’s products, goods or services unless the two entities have a contract or a trademark licensing agreement to that effect. Therefore, any calendar submissions that include or imply an endorsement of a third party’s products, goods or services will be rejected unless the event in question is covered by an appropriate contract or trademark licensing agreement. 
  

Abstracts

Do not submit an abstract as your event description or as a part of your event description. You can link to an abstract and/or provide a short summary of an abstract.