Submitting an Event

Logging In

Once you have access to the Comet Calendar, you will log in using the “Log In” link on the calendar home page.

Through the Office of Information Technology (OIT), Web Services has set up a single sign-on (SSO) for users. So you will use your usual NetID credentials to log in to the platform. 

And you’re in!

Submission
(Option 1)

One way to submit an event is using the “Event Submission Form” located at the bottom of the homepage. It will take you to a submission form with important information.

On the submission form, the required fields are marked as Required. However, Web Services highly recommends that you fill in as much information as possible for your event. The form is divided into sections:

• First Fields
  • Event Name: Required. Use a descriptive name for your event. If the event is a seminar or conference, use the topic name.
  • Description: This is where the event details can be listed. A portion of the first paragraph will be used as teaser text in some listings, so be concise.
• Schedule: This is where you will include the date and time.
  • Start Date: Required.
  • Start Time: An all-day event is assumed if no time is entered.
  • End Time: If a start time is entered, an end time should also be entered.
  • To submit a reoccurring event, enter the date and time for each date and press “Include Above in Schedule.” This will create a list of each upcoming instance of the event under Confirmed Dates.

• Location: This is where you will include the location. The first designation that you will choose is whether the event is “In-Person” or online via “Hybrid” and “Virtual.”
  • If you are submitting an in-person or hybrid event, be sure to enter the correct location in Place. It will auto-populate as you type the name of the building, auditorium, hall or campus landmark. If applicable, list the room number in the box below it.
  • If you are submitting a virtual event, you can enter the meeting instructions or URL in the following boxes.
• Additional Details: This section contains secondary information that can provide more information for users and increase your visibility including, Hashtags, Event Website, Contact Information and tags.
  • Hashtag: If you are using a hashtag to connect with your social media plan for this event, please put it here.
  • Event Website: If the event has a dedicated website or page, list it here. You also can link to your school, department or group page if applicable.
• Photo: While not marked as required, this section is required. Web Services highly recommends including an image for your event. There are two options: upload your own or choose one from our curated photo library.
  • Photos should be, at a minimum, 940 x 557px
  • Rectangular photos will translate better than square photos
  • Use non-text-heavy photos as there are multiple viewpoints they’ll be referenced
  • If you must use text-heavy photos, aim for the text to be as close to the center of the image as possible
  • Aim for photos without too much white space for a better end-look
• Filters: This section is important for event filtering. Of the various dropdowns in this section, the Department and Group filters are the most important. You have to assign the department/group that your user account is assigned to in order to make edits and approve the event later. Also, this will factor into the event feeds that are featured on some department websites. Example: If you submit a JSOM event without assigning the event to “Naveen Jindal School of Management” in the Comet Calendar, that event will not appear on the JSOM website calendar feed.
• Ticketing: This section is not as frequently used. However, it is useful if you are hosting an event that requires a ticket. Just please list the cost here and a link to where tickets can be purchased.

Once the form is complete, you can submit the event for approval!

Submission
(Option 2)

A secondary way to submit events is in the “Administration” dashboard. This is an option for Approvers. To get to the dashboard, click the down-facing arrow next to your profile name. In the dropdown menu, select “Administration.”

Once you are in the dashboard, there will be a blue button that says “Add Event.”

This will take you to the dashboard submission form, which looks different, but has all of the same fields. The form fields are separated into five tabs: Basic Information, Details, Tickets & Registration, Attendee Engagement and Publish. Fill in the important information and submit for approval! 

Restricted and Private Events

You can limit the visibility of your events by making selections in the Visibility section. Here’s how the different Restricted options work:

• Visibility>Unlisted: Events will only be visible via the URL. This is a good option if you do not want your event on the main calendar, but would like to send out an email evite.
• Visibility>Restricted: Events will only be visible in website Widgets and via the URL. It will not be visible on the main calendar.

Best Practices

Access

• If anyone needs access for themselves or their team, please fill out our Calendar Request form.
• Users only can assign events to their specified department/group. If you want to assign secondary departments/groups, email Web Services at webdeveloper@utdallas.edu. If you are routinely assigning the same secondary department/group, please fill out our Calendar Request form to add additional assignments to your user profile.
• Students and outside organizations are not allowed to submit events to the Comet Calendar.
• Student organizations that want to submit an event can email Megan Moser in the Student Union.

Events

• Always assign your department to the event. This will allow you to approve and edit in the future.
• In describing an event, be descriptive, conversational, professional and reader-friendly. About half of Comet Calendar users are on mobile devices so keep that in mind when composing text. Keep it short and to the point. You can list the following in bullet points:
  • Contact – List contact name, number and the word “Email” (if available) linked to an email address with the message title reflective of the event title and date. Click on the link icon at the top of the form to add an email link.
  • Logistics – List any logistical information pertaining to the event such as parking, rendezvous points, etc.
• When linking an email for a contact within an event, include the event title as the Message Subject. See the example.
• Similar to the format you notice on social media sites, hashtags must be one string of alphanumeric characters not separated by characters such as !, $, %, ^, &, *, +, . Additionally, don’t separate words by spaces. Underscores, letters and numbers are the only supported characters across the most popular social media channels.
• Keywords provide a more comprehensive search experience for our users. When adding an event, be sure to include an accurate, robust range of keywords relevant to the event. If the event is related to Commencement or Homecoming, please use those keywords so the event will be listed in a curated calendar page for those major campus events.

Troubleshooting/Additional Notes

• All events have to be approved. If your event is not live on the calendar, you or your department approver will need to approve your event.
• If you are trying to approve an event but it is not visible in the “Pending Event” section, the event is probably not assigned to your department. You can contact Web Services by emailing webdeveloper@utdallas.edu and they will update the assigned department/group on the event.
• While you can submit reoccurring events, there is not an option to bulk add or create events in the Comet Calendar.
• Avoid using images that contain text, which may appear illegible or be cropped. Comet Calendar includes a first-phase assortment of stock photos based on event types.
• If you would like to submit events for a department/group that is not already available in the Comet Calendar, you can email Web Services at webdeveloper@utdallas.edu to have it added.