Event Schedule Manager: Creating Speakers

Typed-in vs Custom Post Type (CPT)

As seen in the Creating Sessions article, speakers can be typed in on a per-event basis.

What’s the difference?

A Typed speaker name is just how it sounds.

• Just type the name(s) and you are done.
• Only the speaker’s name will appear on the session and schedule.
• Since the names are not linked, no speaker page, description, social media links, or images exist.
• Speaker names are not reusable. They only exist in the session it is typed in.

The Speakers Custom Post Type is reusable and provides flexibility.

• You can use the Speakers Shortcode to display a speaker anywhere you want.
• There’s a Speakers page that you can point interested parties to.
• Speakers can have their full details, including social media links on their page.
• You can add a description and image of the speaker.
• You can create groups of speakers.

Creating Speakers

You can create Speakers in the Classic and Block Editor and provide as much or as little detail as you like.

1. Speaker’s Full Name
2. Speaker’s description
3. Speaker’s First Name
4. Speaker’s Last Name
5. Speaker’s Title
6. Speaker’s organization
7. A variety of social media fields
8. You can add a speaker to a Speaker Group. A speaker group is for more complex events where speakers need to be presented together as a group or a subgroup via a shortcode.
9. Featured Image, which is typically a photo of the Speaker

Once Speakers are created, you can define the Speakers page URL on the Settings page. This link will take visitors back to the main speaker’s page when looking at a single speaker’s page.

Displaying Speakers or Speaker Groups in context

Once you have created all of the sessions you need for your schedule, it’s time to display them on a page or post using the [tec_speakers] shortcode