Separate the agenda from the series
Each event needs a start, an optional end and a valid IANA time zone such as Europe/London or America/New_York. A session schedule describes what happens inside one event; repeated occurrences represent separate dates in a series. Free includes calendar display, add-to-calendar links, a public site ICS feed and public organiser ICS feeds. Pro adds a revocable private personal attending-calendar feed.
Choose the shape visitors expect
A two-day conference can be one listing with a detailed agenda. A weekly class may need separate occurrences so each date appears correctly in search, calendars and attendance. Decide before entering the schedule.
Store a valid IANA identifier with local event time
The submit form presents PHP’s valid time-zone identifiers and can detect the browser zone when the field is empty. NexDirectory validates the submitted value against that identifier list. If no valid value is supplied, the site time zone is used as a fallback in relevant flows.
Use the event’s physical or announced time zone, not the editor’s temporary location. An event in New York should remain America/New_York even if a London-based administrator enters it. IANA zones carry daylight-saving rules that a fixed “GMT-5” label cannot.
Build an itinerary with session records
For Events profile submissions, choosing Recurring “Yes” opens the session builder. Each session can include a title, optional location, speaker, day label, start and end, notes, attachment URLs, and uploaded supporting media. NexDirectory stores the cleaned session array as JSON.
A custom session schedule belongs to one event listing and should read like an agenda. Add a clear title, day, start and end for each session; include a location or speaker only when it helps the attendee plan.
Publish repeated dates as a deliberate series
A Free CSV or JSON import can describe daily, weekly or monthly recurrence with an end date. Start with a short test series in Draft or Pending, then review the title, local time, duration, location, classification and booking link for every occurrence.
Treat generated occurrences as individual public records. If the venue, time or booking details change, check the affected dates rather than assuming one edit will update the whole series. Public site and organiser calendar feeds remain Free; Pro adds a private personal feed for confirmed attending events.
Publish a schedule that stays clear
Choose the event’s local time zone
Select the valid IANA zone for the venue or announced online schedule. Do not use the editor’s current time zone unless it is genuinely the event zone.
Enter a complete time range
Set the start and, where applicable, an end after it. Preview the published card and detail page to catch accidental all-day or overnight displays.
Choose agenda or separate occurrences
Use session rows for talks, workshops or stages inside one event. Use repeated occurrences when each date needs its own search result, attendance and booking context.
Test a daylight-saving boundary
Check an occurrence before and after a clock change. Confirm that the local time, time-zone label, public ICS and add-to-calendar result remain understandable.
Review the complete series
Check the first, middle and final dates, then spot-check titles, durations, terms, links and RSVP expectations before publishing the rest.
Schedule checklist
- A valid IANA time zone is stored
- Start date is valid and complete
- End is empty or after the start
- Agenda sessions have clear individual times
- Session attachment URLs are reviewed
- Recurrence-until date is intentional
- Generated series contains no more than expected
- Daylight-saving and mobile display were tested
Questions you may have
Is a multi-session agenda the same as a weekly series?
No. An agenda describes sessions within one event listing. A weekly series uses separate occurrences so each date can appear and be managed independently.
How long should a recurrence series be?
Keep the first series short enough to review. Long-running programmes are easier to maintain in planned blocks, especially when venues, tutors or booking links may change.
What time-zone format should an import use?
Use a valid IANA identifier such as Europe/London, America/New_York, or Asia/Singapore. Avoid informal abbreviations such as BST or EST.
Will changing one occurrence update the whole series?
Treat occurrences as separate records and review the affected dates explicitly. The current packages do not synchronise an external calendar as the managed source.
Which calendar features are included in Free?
Free includes calendar display, add-to-calendar actions, a public site ICS feed and public organiser ICS feeds. Pro adds a revocable private personal attending-calendar feed.