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Penn Clubs provides a complete event management system for clubs to create, promote, and track events.

Creating Events

Club officers can create events with detailed information and multiple showings.

Event Information

1

Basic Details

Add event name, description (with rich text), and event type
2

Event Type

Select from Recruitment, GBM, Speaker, Activities Fair, Social, Career, or Other
3

Event Image

Upload a cover image to make your event stand out (automatically creates thumbnail)
4

Event Link

Add URL for Zoom meetings, registration forms, or more information

Event Showings

Each event can have multiple showings (date/time instances):
  • Start and end times with timezone support (America/New_York default)
  • Location field for physical or virtual venues
  • Location visibility - control who can see the location
  • Multiple showings for recurring or multi-day events
Events and showings are separate - one event (e.g., “Weekly Meeting”) can have multiple showings (every Monday at 7 PM).

Event Types

Different event types serve different purposes:

Recruitment Events

Events focused on attracting new members, such as info sessions and mixers

General Body Meetings

Regular meetings for all club members

Speaker Events

Guest speakers, panels, and presentations

Activities Fairs

Special fair events for club showcases

Social Events

Social gatherings and bonding activities

Career Events

Professional development and networking events

Virtual Events and Zoom Integration

Penn Clubs includes special features for Zoom meetings:

Zoom Meeting Detection

When you add a Zoom URL:
  • Automatic detection of zoom.us links
  • Special “Join Meeting” button styled in Zoom blue
  • Live attendance tracking (with webhook integration)
  • Real-time participant counts displayed on event page

Live Event Statistics

For active Zoom meetings:
  • Current attendees count
  • Club members attending count
  • Total attended (includes those who left)
  • Meeting duration tracker
  • WebSocket updates for real-time data
Live stats hide counts under 8 attendees for privacy. Statistics update automatically via WebSocket connections.

Calendar Import

Automatically sync events from external calendars:
1

Add ICS URL

Paste your calendar’s ICS feed URL (Google Calendar, Outlook, etc.)
2

Auto-Import

System periodically fetches and creates events from the calendar
3

Smart Matching

Existing events update instead of creating duplicates (matched by UUID and time)
4

Event Type Detection

Automatically detects event types based on title and description keywords

ICS Import Features

  • URL extraction from descriptions (Zoom links prioritized)
  • Location parsing from calendar events
  • UUID tracking to prevent duplicates
  • Automatic updates when calendar changes
  • Malformed UUID handling with uuid5 generation

Event Display

Event Cards

Events appear throughout the platform:
  • Club pages - Show upcoming events in a carousel
  • Home page - Featured events across all clubs
  • Calendar view - See all events by date
  • Event modal - Quick preview without leaving the page

Event Pages

Dedicated event pages include:
  • Full event description with rich text formatting
  • Cover photo or club logo
  • Date and time information with countdown
  • “Happening Now” badge for live events
  • Location details (if visible)
  • Event link or Zoom join button
  • Related club information
  • Ticket availability (if ticketed)

Happening Now

Events currently in progress get special treatment:
  • Live badge with pulsing animation
  • Prominent placement on club pages and homepage
  • Quick access to join links
  • Real-time updates for Zoom meetings

Pinned Events

Club officers can pin important events:
  • Stays at top of event list
  • Extra visibility on club page
  • Perfect for flagship events or urgent deadlines

Event Analytics

Track engagement with your events:
  • Modal views - How many people clicked to see details
  • Link clicks - Track when users click event links
  • Page visits - Full event page views
  • Attendance data (for Zoom events with webhook)
Analytics help clubs understand which events generate the most interest and optimize future event planning.

Event Visibility

Control who can see your events:
  • Public events - Visible to all visitors
  • Student-only events - Require Penn authentication
  • Member-only events - Only visible to club members
  • Location privacy - Hide location from non-authenticated users

Fair Events

Special handling for activities fair events:
  • Automatic creation for registered clubs
  • Fair-specific fields and registration data
  • Booth information with GPS coordinates (for in-person fairs)
  • Virtual fair rooms with custom branding
  • Fair event badges to distinguish from regular events

Subscriptions and Notifications

Students who subscribe to clubs receive:
  • Event announcements via email
  • Upcoming event reminders
  • Event updates if details change
Clubs can enable or disable subscription features in their settings.

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