High Fives: Why Five Is Our Magic Number For Events

This past week, we crossed a new milestone for The Events Calendar500,000 active installs!

As I was reviewing our stats on WordPress.org and thinking about our plugins in general, the number five kept showing up in different places:

It got me thinking – is five a magic number for us? There’s lots of evidence pointing to yes.

You Can Install Your Calendar In 5 Minutes (or Less)

We’ve tried to make it as easy as possible to get up and running with The Events Calendar on your WordPress site.

Sticking with today’s theme, we’ve broken it down into 5 steps:

  1. Download and install the plugin
  2. Add your license key (if you’re using any of our paid add-ons)
  3. Configure your settings
  4. Add a link for your new calendar to your site menu
  5. Create your first event

For more detailed information on setting up The Events Calendar for your site, check out our New User Primer.

The 5 W’s Are Awesome for Event Listings

That number 5 just keeps popping up. As you begin listing events on your calendar, one of the best practices we recommend is thinking through the 5 W’s:

WHO: Who is hosting the event and who should attend? By including event organizer information, prospective attendees can quickly contact the right person to ask questions about the event. Event tickets also provide an opportunity to answer the “who” question – you can create multiple ticket types such as Members and Non-Members.

WHAT: What type of event is it? Event titles and descriptions should give visitors a sense of what the event is all about. Categories and tags can also help your audience find the right events that match their needs.

WHEN: Let your attendees know what time the event starts. Ending times are also helpful so people can plan their time accordingly.

WHERE: Location matters. Besides listing the basic venue information, it can be helpful to include a map on the event page.

WHY: Perhaps the most important question to answer with an event listing is why it is being held. Whether it’s a fundraiser for a local school or a major industry conference, sharing the “why” helps attendees align their expectations with the goals of the event.

5 “Five” Facts Just for Fun

  • The number 5 is a prime number
  • It’s also the 5th number in the Fibonacci sequence
  • Punch is a drink that traditionally has five ingredients – spirits, water, sugar, lemon juice, and spice. The name punch comes from the Hindi word for five.
  • Shakespeare wrote in Iambic pentameter, a line of verse with five metrical feet
  • How to say five in 5 different languages:
    • Spanish – Cinco
    • French – Cinq
    • Italian – Cinque
    • German – Fünf
    • Japanese – 五 (go)

Shameless plug: We’re actively trying to improve translations for our plugins. If you’d like to help, check out our instructions for adding and updating plugin translations.

Want to help us celebrate passing 500,000 active installs? Please share your 5-star experience with our plugin by rating The Events Calendar on WordPress.org!