Main Events & Maximizing Your Event's Visibility

Building up and attracting an audience for your event can be intimidating, but don't worry. Here you'll find an overview of the calendar-listing and promotion process, so you can maximize your event's visibility.

With events you have 3 options when it comes to visibility on the calendar:

1. Private Events - No visibility. Not listed on the calendar.
2. Public Events - Low visibility. Discoverable only under the "All" tab on the calendar.
3. Main Events - High visibility. Discoverable in the default calendar view, on in-world billboards, and eligible for external promotion (ex: AltspaceVR's social media accounts; weekly newsletter; Oculus Events; etc.)

What are Main Events?

Main Events are public events that have met specific requirements to guarantee a certain level of quality-of-experience. Main Events are often created/hosted by trusted hosts who have worked hard to produce engaging and entertaining content. The AltspaceVR events calendar defaults to filter by Main Events, making them super discoverable and easy to find. Main Events are also eligible for promotion on in-world billboards (found in Commons Hubs), on AltspaceVR's social media channels, in our weekly newsletter, and even in external forums like Oculus Events.

What is the "All" tab of the calendar?

The "All" tab is the total list of all public events in AltspaceVR. It will often contain Quick Events like impromptu games of Holograms Against Reality or AltQuiz. Public events that are not listed as Main Events are still discoverable under the "All" tab, but are not considered eligible for promotion.

How can my event become a Main Event?
During the event-creation process, you will be able to select "Add as Main Event" and automatically add the designation. If your event meets the eligibility requirements, it will be added to the calendar as a Main Event immediately. The primary goal of the eligibility requirements is to help ensure that both the host and the event are set up for success.

What are the eligibility requirements for Main Events?

• Event must be Public
• Event description must meet minimum character-count of 100.
• Tile image must be 1920x1080

• The creator's/host's AltspaceVR account must be minimum of 1 week (7 days) old.

• The creator/host must have hosted at least one (1) previous public event.
• The creator/host must be OK with AltspaceVR promoting their event through any/all relevant methods (social media, newsletter, Oculus Events, etc.
• If an event is found to be non-performant, containing inappropriate content, or otherwise in violation of our Community Standards/Terms of Service, the host must comply with any requests/edits issued by AltspaceVR staff in order to maintain Main Event designation.
• The source world must pass diagnostics check:
  (Any/all metrics within the GOOD and OKAY tables are allowable. Metrics within the BAD table are not.)

*Hosts are limited to listing a maximum of 3 Main Events per day, per person.  

Will I still have access to the World Editor if my event is listed as a Main Event?
Yes. Unlike featured events, Main Events will allow you to retain World Editor access once your event has been added to the calendar. However, we strongly urge you to make changes to your source world not your event. Changes made to your event will not duplicate and can also affect the performance and stability of your event. Use your World Editor wisely-- with great power, comes great responsibility.

You used to have "Featured Events". Can I still request to be featured?

No need! When it comes to visibility and discoverability, "Main Events" function the same way the featured events once did. So you don't need us to approve your request anymore. You can now manage the discoverability of your event on your own.

What if I don't want to add my event to the Main Events calendar?

You don't have to. You still have the option to publish a public event which will simply appear under the "All" tab in the calendar. If you're hosting a private event, it will not be listed anywhere on the calendar. Private events and Public events that are not listed as Main Events will not be promoted.

Will AltspaceVR still help promote my events?

Yes, absolutely! Our social media feeds and weekly newsletter will continue to include a curated selection of select Main Events listing on our calendar. We will also continue to promote select Main Events through the Oculus Events calendar. All promotion is at the discretion of the AltspaceVR team, and we're always looking out for cool events that stand-out on our calendar.

How can I maximize my chances of attracting a large audience to my event or being promoted by AltspaceVR?

There are a few things we recommend when creating your event to help increase your chances of standing out in the events calendar & being picked up for promotion:

• Use your title to pique people's curiosities
• Be specific. Speak to people's interests. Be invitational.
• Ex: "Basketball Chat" is less compelling than "NBA Finals Watch Party"
• Write a short but informative description
• Tell people what to expect. Keep it short but interesting. Don't be cryptic. Don't use markdown
• Ex: "Science talk about dinosaurs" is less interesting than "Join Dr. Ross Geller on a safari-like expedition through a virtual Jurassic World. Come learn about the dinosaurs that once roamed our Earth."
• Use a custom image
• Interesting visuals are a surefire way to stand out in the calendar.
• Avoid adding text; use color; add logos in moderation.
• Create your listing early and well in advance of your event date
• The more time your event spends on the calendar, the more time you have to be discovered by new audiences.
• Be consistent in content and communication
• Set an event schedule & let your audiences know when to look for your next listing; leverage social media or platforms like Discord to communicate with your fans.