Blog Home

Cities are brought to life by the people who live, work, and visit them. Much of the draw and appeal cities command comes from the constant array of events, entertainment, and happenings at popular destinations.

People flocking to cities looking to get involved in the social and business scenes should have a central place to find out about all the great events and opportunities your city has to offer. Sure they can check out a venue’s website, the city’s newspaper, or a guidebook, but at Localist, we have a better (read easier) way.

Media companies have calendars, colleges have calendars, what about a central, online social calendar for your city? While it may sound like a daunting task to bring ALL your city’s events onto one calendar, the following benefits of centralizing your calendar will have you ready to get started. If you’re in the promotions or tourism department for your city, this will make the job you already have way easier.

The right online calendar will:

1. Condense events into one calendar, one website, one source for events. People enjoy simplicity, and what’s easier than having one online source for all of the major events going on in a city? Current residents won’t need to go through the hassle of bookmarking multiple online calendars, only to forget about them. Instead, your online calendar will become their go-to source for events and entertainment in their city. Weekend plans just got easier to make. Visitors will also appreciate the ease of being able to plan their trip using one site.
2. Save your staff time. Centralized calendars remove the headache associated with managing multiple calendars and ways of disseminating information. Your staff can all get on the same page (literally). Plus, if you promote your city’s centralized, online calendar well, local venues and organizations will contribute content and events, thereby saving your staff time and energy. With a calendar like Localist, it’s easy to allow anyone to post events and categorize them according to type and interest. Layered permissions allow your staff to easily view and approve the events.
3. Drive traffic to your city’s tourism site. We know tourism can provide a big boost to a city’s local economy. Having an online calendar that promotes the attractions your city has to offer will impress visitors and get them excited to learn more. Calendars with robust event details are huge traffic drivers for many of our customers. What else will they find once they’re on your tourism site?
4. Help visitors have a memorable experience. Visitors who feel like they connected with the local scene, or had a new, exciting experience will be more likely to enjoy their trip to your city. A central, online calendar bursting with local events will make it easier for that all-important, memorable experience to occur. Visitors will return home and talk up your city to others. They might even make a trip back!
5. Show current residents how to rediscover their city. What’s better than feeling a sense of pride for the city where you live and work? Your city’s central calendar can help current residents rediscover their favorite neighborhoods by engaging with fellow urbanites at new and exciting events. They’ll get to know their city better and feel happier knowing they live in a bustling locale.
6. Raise attendance at events. This one is really important, so we saved it for last. All of the above benefits are enhanced by more people attending events in your city. You can have a great festival downtown, and bring in live music and food trucks, but it won’t matter if it has spotty attendance. A centralized, online calendar will increase event attendance by making it easier for people to find events. Users can sort events by category, date, location and interest to find something that suits their mood and schedule. The social aspect of online calendars like Localist lets users view attendees and even chat about the upcoming event. This sparks excitement and connects people before they even show up.

A central, online calendar will be your biggest ally in promoting and enlivening your city’s events.

Interested in learning more about how your calendar affects your community? Check out our eBook, “Why Your Online Calendar Should Be Social.”

Image Source