PocketPlatform Events
Put your event information in people's hands and empower them to take action when something catches their eye!
The Events screen shows the current and upcoming events. Events must be approved and publicly visible to display in PocketPlatform. As soon as an event's end date passes, it no longer displays in the list.
- For a list, edit your app navigation, expand Events and locate .
- For a calendar, edit your app navigation, expand Events and locate .
- For a specific event, edit your app navigation, expand Events and locate .
Alternatively, you can set up a list of lists to toggle between the event list and calendar. To point to a list of lists from your app menu, in the App Manager, edit your app navigation, expand General and locate .
To promote events that are coming up soon, you can add the Upcoming Events dashboard recipe using the App Manager.
If an Event record has an image attached, it displays above the event's description. Compelling images can help draw people's attention to upcoming events. Users can click an event to see the full description, along with additional information and a call-to-action button if you've added one. A Register button displays for events that have a Registration Start date in the past and are not currently underway. Depending on how you configure your app, users may be able to send a message to the event's primary contact.
For more on fields that affect how your PocketPlatform events show up, see Platform Configuration for Events in the App.
| Events List | Events Calendar | Event Details |
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Filtering Events to Show
By default, no filters are displayed or applied to the list of events. You can allow users to filter by Event Type, Location, Ministry, or Month. To show or hide these filters at the top of your Events screen, use the options for your event link in the App Manager. You can also change the filter label wording to meet your needs.
- Event Type – Available options include all Event Type records in MinistryPlatform (under ). Note that the Show On MPMobile field does not affect whether this shows in PocketPlatform.
- Location – Available options include all Congregations or Parishes in MinistryPlatform that have Available Online set to Yes. Note that a congregation/parish's End Date is not taken into account. So an end-dated congregation/parish will display in the app unless you set Available Online to No.
- Ministry – Available options include all Ministries in MinistryPlatform that have Available Online set to Yes. Note that a ministry's End Date is not taken into account. So an end-dated ministry will display in the app unless you set Available Online to No.
- Month – Available options include all months of the year. This filters the list based on the events that occur in the selected month.
Event Registration
Authenticated users can register for events using the Register button in the app, assuming all conditions are met for the event. For example, you must have a registration product and form associated with the event, and the event must be within the Registration Start and End dates. If the event is for kids, the app user can select to register the child for the event and provide their contact information as the parent/guardian.
| Family Member Selection | Registration Info |
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Remind Me and Add to Calendar
For every event, the Event Detail screen shows two actions that app users can take: Remind Me and Add to Calendar. The Remind Me action allows the user to set a reminder notification for either In 1 Hour or Tomorrow, and they will receive a push notification at that time with a link to the event. The Add to Calendar action downloads an ICS file that the user can import into their device calendar, which shows the event title, date and time for this particular event (not recurring), event description, and meeting instructions.
The heading text "Actions" is customizable through the language packs.
Promoting Events
Take your PocketPlatform events up a notch by adding the most important ones to your app's Dashboard. And don't forget to leverage Lists of Lists to organize and customize your information. For example, you could set up a screen before your Events list that displays featured events that you want to promote.
Platform Configuration for Events in the App
Once you set up your event in MinistryPlatform, there are a few things that determine if it displays in PocketPlatform.
- Approved must be "Yes", meaning the approval process has been completed for the event.
- Web Approved must be "Yes".
- Cancelled must be "No".
- Visibility must be set to "Staff and Church" or "Public".
To display for use in Check-In Suite, make sure the Event record has Allow Check-In set to Yes.
To display for use in FastPass, make sure the Event record has Allow Check-In AND Allow Fastpass set to Yes.
- Image
- The default image attached to the Event record in the Files panel. This displays prominently in the app, so make sure it's engaging and relevant to the event!
- Event Title
- A short, friendly name that describes the event.
- Event Dates & Times
- The date and time when the event will occur.
- Description
- Additional information about your event, such as what to expect. We recommend keeping it short so it displays well on mobile devices.Note: This Platform field can support basic HTML formatting so you can include things like bold text and bulleted lists. However, you'll want to make sure your app allows for HTML formatting in order for it to display as expected. Contact Support for assistance.
- Meeting Instructions
- Provide guidance to people attending your event. This could include things that they need to know or may not be intuitive, like where to park or what to bring.
- Primary Contact
- The primary contact for the event. If configured, users can tap their name to send a message.Note: Want to hide the entire contact or just the contact's photo? Want to allow app users to click the contact's name to email them directly? Contact Support to add that functionality to your app.
- Building/Room
- If the event has a Room Reservation (on the Rooms & Groups tab of the Event record), it also displays in the app as long as you set Show Building Room Info to Yes on the Event record.
- Online Registration Product
- You can allow authenticated users to register for an event via a Register button in the app. Make sure you have a registration product and form associated with the event, along with appropriate Registration Start and End dates, if needed.Note: A Registration Fee card displays in the app when the event has a deposit price and the base price is greater than $0.
- External Registration URL
- As an alternative to the online registration product, you may want to send users to form outside of the Platform. If you enter a URL here, the Register button displays. Note that Registration Start and End dates do not apply to external registration forms.