Hosting members-only events in WordPress is an effective way to engage your audience, boost revenue, and provide unique experiences. By limiting access to certain content and activities, you foster a sense of exclusivity and loyalty among your members.
However, WordPress does not include a native feature for creating events restricted to specific users. To organize members-only events, you will need to utilize an event calendar plugin in conjunction with a membership plugin.
At CanadaCreate, we have evaluated and utilized various calendar and membership plugins. Based on our findings, Sugar Calendar is the top choice for adding events to your website. You can then use MemberPress or Paid Memberships Pro to limit access to these events.
In this article, we will guide you through the process of hosting members-only events in WordPress. We will explore both free and paid options to suit all budgets.
Why Host Members-Only Events in WordPress?
Offering exclusive events on your site is an excellent way to enhance your connection with your audience and build a more dedicated customer base. It promotes a sense of community and belonging among your members.
Additionally, it enhances user engagement by providing members with exclusive content and activities that aren’t accessible to the general public. This motivates users to return to your site and enjoy unique offerings.
With access limited to subscribers, you can also increase revenue through event registrations and membership fees. Furthermore, you can sell event tickets that are exclusively available to your members.
Now, let’s explore how to incorporate exclusive events into your site and restrict access to members only. We will discuss various methods for creating memberships, allowing you to click the links below to navigate directly to any section:
- How to Add Members-Only Events to Your WordPress Website
- Using MemberPress to Restrict Events for Members (Recommended)
- Using Paid Memberships Pro to Restrict Events for Members (Free Option)
How to Add Members-Only Events to Your WordPress Website
The simplest way to add multiple events and create a calendar on your site is by utilizing Sugar Calendar.
It is the top calendar plugin for WordPress, designed for beginners. Additionally, it offers extensive customization options. You can create multiple calendars, sync with Google Calendar, use an addon for selling event tickets, and much more.
For a detailed overview of its features, check out our comprehensive review of Sugar Calendar.
Begin by installing and activating the Sugar Calendar plugin. If you need assistance, refer to our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Important Note: This tutorial utilizes the Sugar Calendar Pro version, which includes advanced features such as recurring events and additional addons. Alternatively, you can use the free Sugar Calendar Lite version to create members-only events without needing a license key.
After installation, navigate to Calendar » Settings in your WordPress dashboard and input your license key.
You can locate the license key in your account area. Once entered, click the ‘Verify Key’ button.
Next, you can create a new calendar specifically for your exclusive events. Sugar Calendar automatically adds a default calendar to your site, which you can use or create a new one for members-only events.
To begin, go to the SugarCalendar » Calendars section and click the ‘+ Add Calendar’ button.
Then, provide a name for your new calendar.
You can also customize the slug, add a description, select a parent calendar, and choose a color.
After entering the required information, click the ‘Add New Calendar’ button to proceed.
Next, navigate to the Sugar Calendar »Events page and click the ‘+ Add New Event’ button.
Then, fill in the details for your event.
You can specify the event name, start and end times, date, frequency (‘Recurrence’), location, and ticket price if applicable.
When you’re ready, choose the calendar for displaying the event and click the ‘Publish’ button.
Next, you can add your calendar to a new or existing page. Open the content editor and click the ‘+’ icon to insert the ‘Events Calendar’ block.
You will now see a preview of your calendar in the content editor.
Go ahead and publish or update your page. Then, visit your website to see the events calendar live.
You might also want to check our guide on creating a simple event calendar with Sugar Calendar for additional customization options.
Now that your events and calendars are set up, the next step is to restrict access to members only.
Restrict Events for Members Using MemberPress (Recommended)
Many membership plugins allow you to restrict events to subscribers, but MemberPress stands out as the top choice we’ve evaluated. It provides a comprehensive platform for selling unlimited membership tiers and subscriptions.
Check out our detailed MemberPress review to discover its features and advantages.
This solution is perfect for anyone seeking a complete membership plugin that includes all the tools necessary to create, sell, and manage various types of memberships.
If you’re new to this, we recommend reading our ultimate guide on how to create a WordPress membership site.
To begin, you’ll need to install and activate MemberPress on your website. If you require assistance, please refer to our guide on installing a WordPress plugin.
Once activated, navigate to theMemberPress » Settingspage and select the ‘License’ menu option to input your license key.
You can locate the key in your account on the MemberPress website. After entering the key, simply click the ‘Activate License Key’ button.
Next, you’ll need to configure a payment gateway for your members-only site. You can do this by selecting the ‘Payments’ tab and then clicking the ‘Add Payment Method’ button.
After that, you can choose from various payment gateways to set up for your site.
The plugin is compatible with popular payment services such as Stripe, PayPal, and Authorize.net.
To choose a payment method, simply select it from the ‘Gateway’ drop-down menu. You will then need to enter the necessary credentials or follow the on-screen instructions to link your chosen payment gateway.
Next, you should create membership levels that users can subscribe to in order to access exclusive members-only events.
To set up a membership level, navigate to theMemberPress » Membershipssection in your WordPress dashboard. Then, click the ‘Add New’ button located at the top.
You can then enter a title for your membership plan and provide additional details in the post editor.
On the right side, you will find an option to set the price for your membership plan. You can choose whether the plan is a one-time fee or a recurring subscription.
Afterward, scroll down to modify various membership options.
For instance, MemberPress allows you to customize registration settings, including the button text, the option to enable a custom thank you page, personalized payment methods, and more.
If you switch to the ‘Price Box’ tab, you will find options to adjust the visual presentation of your pricing plans.
You can modify the title, add heading text, list the benefits, and more.
Once you have entered the necessary details, you can publish the membership plan. You can repeat this process to create multiple membership levels as desired.
Next, navigate to MemberPress » Rulesin your WordPress dashboard. Here, you can create rules to limit access to events exclusively for registered members.
Begin by clicking the ‘Add New’ button at the top.
On the following page, you will need to define the conditions and link them to a membership plan to facilitate members-only events on your website.
To get started, enter a name for your rule at the top. Then, click the dropdown menu under ‘Protected Content.’
For this tutorial, we will choose the ‘A Single Event’ option to restrict access to a specific event. Alternatively, you can select ‘All Events’ to limit access to all events for members only.
Next, select an event that will be exclusively available to members. Type the name of the event and choose it from the dropdown list when it appears.
Then, set the conditions in the ‘Access Conditions’ section. You can select ‘Membership’ from the dropdown and specify which membership users must have to access the events.
To allow more membership levels to access the event, simply click the ‘+’ icon and add the desired membership tiers.
Once you have finished, remember to click the ‘Save Rule’ button to apply your changes.
Congratulations! You have successfully set up a membership site where only subscribers can access your events.
If an unregistered user attempts to view the event, they will be redirected to an unauthorized access page.
How to Restrict Event Access for Members Using Paid Memberships Pro (Free Option)
You can also limit event access on your site by using the Paid Memberships Pro plugin. This plugin includes an Events addon that allows you to create events exclusively for members, and it works seamlessly with popular calendar plugins like Sugar Calendar.
This approach is ideal for users seeking a free solution to establish basic membership levels and restrict access to various events. However, if you need a comprehensive membership platform with advanced content restriction features, consider using MemberPress.
In this tutorial, we will utilize the free version of Paid Memberships Pro. There are also premium plans available that offer additional features and integrations.
To get started, install and activate the Paid Memberships Pro plugin. For assistance, refer to our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Once activated, you will see the plugin’s dashboard and welcome screen.
Next, navigate to the ‘Add Ons’ tab located at the top.
From there, find the ‘Events’ addon and click the ‘Install’ button.
After installation, you can create new membership levels by going to theSettings » Levelstab in the plugin menu.
Click the ‘+ Add New Level’ button to proceed.
A new popup window will appear, displaying various membership levels.
For example, you can set up free, monthly, annual, lifetime, or one-time memberships. In this tutorial, we will select the ‘Annual’ option.
Next, provide the details for your membership level.
Begin by entering a name and a description.
If you scroll down, you will find additional options for your membership level.
You can add a confirmation message and include billing details.
The plugin also provides various settings, such as protecting pages and posts, enabling membership expiration, disabling new signups, and more.
Once you’ve finished making your changes, click the ‘Save Level’ button at the bottom to save your work.
You can repeat this process to create multiple membership levels as needed.
Next, return to the Sugar Calendar events to specify which membership levels are allowed to view your events.
Simply navigate toSugar Calendar » Eventsin the WordPress admin panel and select any event from the calendar. Then, click the ‘Edit’ option.
In the event editor, you will find a ‘Require Membership’ meta box on the right side.
Select the membership levels that should have access to this event.
When you’re finished, click the ‘Update’ button to save your changes.
You can now visit your website to see who has access to the event. If a user does not have the necessary membership, they will be prompted to subscribe before they can view the event.
We hope this guide has helped you understand how to host members-only events in WordPress. You might also find our guide on hosting virtual events in WordPress and adding a free trial subscription in WordPress helpful.
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