How to Add Event Categories & Filters with Eventful Shortcodes

🎯 Introduction

When visitors land on your events page, they shouldn’t feel like they’re scrolling through a wall of dates and titles. Visual organization is what turns an event list into a genuine experience — one where users can instantly find what they want and feel excited to explore more.

Unfortunately, many WordPress sites still rely on plain event listings that show everything in one long, cluttered column. It’s not just hard to navigate — it’s a missed opportunity to impress.

That’s where Eventful shortcodes filters come in. With a few clicks, you can categorize, organize, and filter your events beautifully — whether you’re showcasing concerts, webinars, or community meetups.

Eventful gives you a flexible shortcode system that works hand-in-hand with The Events Calendar, allowing you to design layouts that are clean, modern, and tailored to your audience.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to use Eventful’s shortcode filters to make your events page not only functional but unforgettable.

💡 Why Event Categories & Filters Matter

When your site features multiple types of events — from workshops to webinars to concerts — clarity becomes your biggest design asset. Visitors shouldn’t have to scroll endlessly or guess which events are relevant to them. That’s exactly why Eventful shortcodes filters matter.

🧭 Improve Event Navigation

Categories and filters turn chaos into clarity. Instead of dumping every event into one long list, you can organize them by type, theme, or audience — making it effortless for visitors to find what they’re looking for.

⚡ Boost Engagement & Conversions

When users can instantly sort through your events — say, selecting Upcoming Webinars or Local Workshops — they’re far more likely to click, register, and attend. Simplicity equals participation.

🔍 Enhance SEO with Focused Content

Creating category-specific layouts helps you target search intent more effectively. For example, a “Business Events” page can rank independently from a “Music Festivals” page, improving your site’s visibility and relevance.

🗂️ Structure Large Calendars with Ease

If you manage a busy event calendar, filters are essential. They help you organize hundreds of listings without overwhelming visitors — keeping your site both fast and user-friendly.

With Eventful’s shortcode filters, you don’t just display events — you create a guided, intuitive experience that keeps users engaged and coming back.

⚙️ How Eventful Shortcodes Work

Eventful makes it effortless to display events exactly how you want — without writing a single line of code. Every time you create a layout, the plugin automatically generates a unique shortcode that brings your design to life anywhere on your WordPress site.

🧩 One Layout = One Shortcode

Each layout you build inside Eventful comes with its own shortcode — for example: [ eventful id=”123″ ]

This ID links directly to the settings of that specific layout, ensuring that your chosen style, filters, and design options stay perfectly consistent wherever you embed it.

🎛️ Apply Filters and Categories Easily

Inside the layout editor, you can filter your events by category, tag, featured status, or even by upcoming / past. These filters define what content appears in your layout — all managed through simple dropdowns, no scripts or queries required.

🧠 Zero Coding Needed

Everything is done visually. Configure your layout, copy the shortcode, and paste it into any page, post, or builder block. In seconds, your calendar transforms from a static list into an organized, filterable showcase.

With Eventful shortcodes filters, you control both the look and the logic — combining power, flexibility, and simplicity in one smart workflow.

🏷️ Step 1: Create Event Categories in The Events Calendar

Before you start filtering events with Eventful, you need to make sure your events are properly organized within The Events Calendar. Setting up categories gives Eventful the structure it needs to sort and display events beautifully.

🪄 How to Create Categories

1. In your WordPress dashboard, go to Events → Categories.
2. Click Add New Category and name it based on your event type — for example:
   • 🎓 Webinars
   • 🎶 Concerts
   • 🧠 Workshops
   • 💼 Business Meetups
3. Add a brief description or slug (optional) for clarity.

🗂️ Assign Categories to Events

When creating or editing an event, simply check the relevant category box in the Event Categories panel. You can assign one or multiple categories depending on how you want them to appear in your layouts.

💡 Why This Step Matters

Eventful relies on The Events Calendar’s category system to know what to display. Once categories are set, you can easily apply filters within Eventful layouts — allowing you to build separate sections for “Upcoming Webinars,” “Music Festivals,” or “Past Workshops” effortlessly.

Setting up categories first ensures that Eventful shortcodes filters work seamlessly and accurately.

🧱 Step 2: Build a Layout with Eventful

Now that your events are categorized, it’s time to design how they’ll appear. Eventful makes this process simple, giving you the freedom to choose stunning layouts and styles — all without coding.

🧭 Navigate to the Layout Builder

In your WordPress dashboard, go to Eventful → Layouts → Add New.
Give your layout a clear name like “Webinar Grid” or “Featured Concerts Carousel” so you can easily manage it later.

🎨 Choose Your Layout Type

Eventful offers several professional display options:

• Grid — perfect for showcasing multiple events side by side.
• List — ideal for detailed event overviews or schedules.
• Carousel — great for dynamic, interactive featured sections.

Each layout type is fully customizable to match your website’s aesthetic.

⚙️ Customize the Design

Fine-tune your layout using Eventful’s built-in styling controls:

• Adjust columns and spacing.
• Set your typography for event titles and dates.
• Add image overlays or hover effects.
• Include CTA buttons like Learn More or Buy Tickets.

💾 Save & Generate Your Shortcode

Once you’re happy with the design, click Publish. Eventful will automatically generate a shortcode like: [ eventful id=”123″ ]

This shortcode connects directly to your layout’s settings, ready to embed anywhere on your site.

With your first layout ready, you’re just a few clicks away from activating Eventful shortcodes filters that display events with style and precision.

🔍 Step 3: Apply Filters in Eventful Layout Settings

Once your layout is created, you can make it interactive by adding filters that help visitors explore your events easily. Eventful gives you an advanced Filter Bar feature right inside the layout editor — no extra plugin required.

Here’s how to set it up:

🧭 1. Open Advanced Filtering

In your Eventful layout editor, scroll down to the Advanced Filtering section.
You’ll see several options for what you can filter by:

• Keyword / Search
• Venue, Organizer & Taxonomy ✅
• Event Date & Time

To filter events by category, tag, or venue, check the box for Venue, Organizer & Taxonomy.

🏷️ 2. Add Category Filters

Under the Venue, Organizer & Taxonomy section:

• Click category to expand its settings.
• From Select Option, choose Event Categories.
• In Choose Categories, select which event categories you want available (for example: Workshops, Concerts, Webinars).
• Set Operator to IN — this means any event matching the selected categories will appear.
• Check Add to Ajax Live Filters if you want your filters to update instantly without reloading the page.

🎛️ 3. Customize Filter Appearance

Still within the category settings, you can style your filter bar:

• Choose Filter Type — Button, Dropdown, Radio, or Checkbox.
• Add an Icon using the Add Icon button for visual appeal.
• Customize Button Colors — set text, hover, and background colors to match your brand.
• Rename the “All Category” label if you prefer something like All Events or Show All.
• Check Show Event Count to display how many events exist per category.
• Adjust Alignment (Left, Center, Right) to control the filter bar’s layout.

🧩 4. Add More Filters (Optional)

You can also click Add New to include filters for:

• Tags (e.g., “Free,” “Online,” “Family-Friendly”)
• Venue (for location-based filtering)
• Organizer (helpful if you host events from different teams or speakers)

You can even combine multiple filters using the Relation setting:

• AND → Events must match all filters.
• OR → Events can match any filter.

📱 5. Adjust Layout Responsiveness

At the bottom, you’ll see Filter Option Columns — use this to control how many filter buttons appear per row on desktop, tablet, and mobile.
You can also set the Margin Between Filter Columns (e.g., 20px) to create breathing room between items.

🔄 6. Enable or Hide Buttons

Finally, use these toggle options to fine-tune your filter bar:

• Advance Filter Reset Button: Turn this ON to let users clear all filters at once.
• Show Hide Filter Button: Keep this OFF if you want filters visible at all times.

👀 7. Preview and Save

Once everything looks good, click Preview to test your filter bar live.
When satisfied, hit Publish.

Now your visitors can dynamically browse your events — filtering by category, venue, or organizer — without ever leaving the page.

With this setup, you’ve unlocked the full power of Eventful shortcodes filters for creating modern, user-friendly event directories.

🔗 Step 4: Embed Shortcode Anywhere

Once your filtered layout is ready, it’s time to display it on your website. Each layout you create in Eventful generates a unique shortcode that you can place anywhere — pages, posts, or even template files — to showcase your events exactly where they belong.

📋 1. Copy Your Shortcode

After publishing your layout, Eventful will display a shortcode like: [ eventful id=”123″ ]

This shortcode connects directly to your saved layout, complete with its filters, design, and styling.

🏠 2. Add to Pages or Posts

Paste your shortcode into any WordPress page — for example, a section titled “Upcoming Workshops” or “Featured Webinars.”
You can do this using the Classic Editor, Gutenberg, or Elementor.

🧩 3. Use in Page Builders

• Elementor: Drag the Shortcode widget into your design and paste [ eventful id="123" ].
• Gutenberg: Add a Shortcode block and insert your shortcode directly.

Your filtered layout will instantly load and adjust to the page style.

🪄 4. Display in Sidebars or Widgets

Eventful layouts can also appear in widget-ready areas like sidebars or footers.
Just use a Text or Custom HTML widget and paste the same shortcode — perfect for smaller “Upcoming Events” or “Featured Category” lists.

💻 5. For Developers: Template Integration

If you want to include your layout in a custom theme file, simply add this line of PHP: echo do_shortcode(‘[ eventful id=”123″ ]’);

This gives developers full flexibility to place Eventful layouts within any template, dynamically pulling in events with your predefined filters.

🧩 Step 5: Combine Multiple Filtered Layouts

Once you’ve mastered creating one layout, you can take your event page design to the next level by combining several Eventful shortcodes filters on the same page. This lets you organize different event categories into beautifully structured sections — all powered by the same simple shortcode system.

🧱 Build Category-Specific Sections

For example:

• 🎓 Workshops — a Grid layout showcasing hands-on learning sessions.
• 💻 Webinars — a List layout displaying upcoming online sessions.
• 🎶 Concerts — a Carousel layout with featured music events.

Each section gets its own unique layout and shortcode, giving your site variety while maintaining visual consistency.

⚙️ Create Multiple Layouts with Unique Filters

1. Go to Eventful → Layouts → Add New.
2. Choose your layout type (Grid, List, or Carousel).
3. Under Advanced Filtering, select a specific Category or Tag (e.g., “Workshops”).
4. Customize design and publish to generate your shortcode — e.g., [ eventful id="201" ].
5. Repeat the process for each new category or event type.

🏗️ Build Dynamic Event Hubs

Once you’ve created multiple filtered layouts, embed each shortcode on your homepage or a dedicated Event Hub page.
For example:

[ eventful id="201" ]  <!-- Workshops -->
[ eventful id="202" ]  <!-- Webinars -->
[ eventful id="203" ]  <!-- Concerts -->

This approach lets visitors quickly browse by interest — without overwhelming them with too much information at once.

With Eventful shortcodes filters, you can easily transform a generic calendar into a dynamic, category-driven event experience that’s both functional and visually engaging.

🎨 Styling & Branding Tips

Design plays a huge role in how your events are perceived. Even the most organized event listings can feel dull if they don’t visually connect with your brand or audience. With Eventful shortcodes filters, you can easily add style, structure, and personality to every layout.

🎨 Use Color-Coded Headers or Icons

Differentiate categories by color or icon for quick visual recognition.

• Example: Blue for Workshops, Green for Webinars, Red for Concerts.
• You can also use small icons — 🎓 for learning, 🎶 for music, 💼 for business — to make browsing effortless and fun.

💼 Match Event Design with Your Brand Identity

Eventful lets you customize fonts, buttons, and overlays, so your event listings blend seamlessly with your website’s design. Stick to your brand colors and typography for a unified, professional look that builds trust.

📐 Keep Spacing Consistent Across Layouts

If you’ve created multiple filtered layouts on one page, maintain consistent spacing and alignment. Equal padding and margins between sections make your event hub feel structured and polished — even when showcasing different event types.

🎟️ Add Clear CTAs

Every event should end with a clear action. Use bold, branded buttons like:

• Join Now
• Book Your Seat
• Register Free
  These CTAs not only guide users but also increase conversions dramatically.

With thoughtful design and consistency, your Eventful shortcodes filters layouts won’t just organize content — they’ll elevate your brand’s entire event experience.

⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

Even though Eventful shortcodes filters make event organization simple, a few common oversights can limit how effective your layouts look and perform. Here’s what to watch out for before publishing your final showcase:

🚫 Forgetting to Assign Events to Categories

Eventful relies on The Events Calendar’s categories and tags to filter your events. If an event isn’t categorized, it won’t appear in your filtered layouts. Always double-check that each event is assigned to the right category before testing your shortcode.

🧱 Embedding Unpublished Layouts

If you copy the shortcode for a layout that hasn’t been published yet, nothing will display on the front end. Make sure your layout’s status is Published before embedding

anywhere on your site.

🎢 Overloading Pages with Too Many Filtered Sections

While it’s tempting to show every event category, adding too many sections can slow your page and overwhelm visitors. Keep things focused — feature your most important event types on the homepage and move the rest to dedicated pages.

📱 Ignoring Responsive Design

Always preview your layouts on mobile, tablet, and desktop. Eventful layouts are responsive by default, but filters, buttons, and text spacing might need adjustments to ensure a flawless experience across all devices.

Avoiding these pitfalls ensures that your Eventful shortcodes filters deliver both style and performance — keeping your event hub clean, fast, and professional.

🎯 Conclusion – Eventful shortcodes filters

Organizing events shouldn’t be a chore — it should be an experience. With Eventful shortcodes filters, you can transform The Events Calendar into a visually stunning, user-friendly showcase that guides visitors effortlessly through your content.

Instead of overwhelming users with endless lists, you can present clean, interactive layouts where every category feels purposeful and easy to explore. Whether you’re highlighting webinars, concerts, or community workshops, Eventful makes event navigation both seamless and beautiful.

Now it’s your turn to bring structure and style together.

❓ FAQs – Eventful Shortcodes Filters