Definition
The rules below are only valid for events the European Commission is organising and financing.
If events are organised by a third party and the Commission is supporting it in some way, DGs should not follow these rules but can create a teaser to appear on the DG’s site – to link to an external site dealing with this event. Please make sure the event’s communication mentions the European Commission as a partner.
The Commission is responsible for a wide range of events, many of which are open to the public. Offering a consistent online experience regarding events improves the user experience and contributes to higher satisfaction levels.
An event is a planned and organised experience with an identified beginning and end. Events have:
- an agenda (date, time, programme)
- a location (venue or online videoconferencing platform)
- attendance (with or without registration)
There are three states for an event:
- future
- live
- past
Event organisers can decide to communicate about one, two or all three states. In all cases, information about the event published during its different states should use the same online communication channel. It is critical to edit the entries in due time. Pay particular attention to the content after the event and make sure the information is up-to-date.
Purpose
The purpose of these rules is to ensure information about planned, current or past events is structured and coherent throughout the event experience – from the announcement, through updates during the event to post-event information.
Rules
Register on SCIC Event Database
If you are organising an event with more than 50 participants and a clear external communication dimension, you must register it on the Events Database. This database is managed by the events management services of the Department for Interpretation (DG SCIC). SCIC’s database facilitates user registration, making registration to attend an event more straightforward for visitors and for the DG that is organising the event.
Events registered in the Events Database are displayed in the European Commission website's EVENTS list view and can be simultaneously displayed on a generic Commission webpage, department page, topic page, policy page, research area page or have a website dedicated to it.
Registering events on the SCIC Events Database also allows you to use SCIC framework contract if you need associated services, including event-related communication.
See the Corporate Solutions page on the Web Guide regarding the SCIC Events Database. If you have questions regarding the database and SCIC Framework contract, please contact SCIC-CONF-FWC@ec.europa.eu.
Display event content on Commission websites
If your event hosts less than 50 participants or you cannot reach your audience by using SCIC and its dissemination platforms only, add content related to your event on your DG policy site or on the European Commission's website’s pages dedicated to your DG if your DG does not have a website. In case of a large-scale, vast visibility and/or long-lasting event, you might require creating a dedicated website.
Add your event to your DG website or the Commission website (using the corporate CMS)
It is recommended to implement the Event content type. It provides DGs with the means to publish coherent content related to the wide range of events the Commission organises. Add information manually to the Event content type, according to the state of the event.
By using the Event content type, you can display an event's agenda and location, as well as upload multimedia relating to the event.
Use before and after event features such as featured image or video, date and time, location, speakers, agenda (travel timeline), registration link, registration deadline, scribble, social media profile, organiser, website, contact, summary, multimedia library and publications.
Create a new website
Depending on business needs, you may have to create a separate website for your event. Event websites are only allowed for large and complex events that cannot be accommodated by existing solutions.
The sole purpose of an event website is to advertise an activity that is open to the public, organised and/or hosted by the European Commission. The website can be temporary and provide information about an event before, during and after it takes place.
Events site category
European Commission websites are subject to specific rules depending on the category of site. See European Commission websites overview for an overview of site categories.
Event sites from DGs fall under the category: EC-branded Harmonised Websites in most instances. Check the dedicated sections of the Web Guide for related guidelines and design requirements.
To create an Event website, you should follow the web request procedures and archive the site when at the end of it.
Follow writing and tagging guidelines
Commission services must:
- follow the web writing guidelines.
- tag content using the appropriate Digital Europa Thesaurus terms to ensure that:
- users and search engines can easily find the event
- users can easily filter events, eg by year, country…
- the event appears, where relevant, across the Commission experience
- the event can be identified as relevant and disseminated more widely – beyond the Commission experience.
Contact and Support
Need further assistance on this topic? Please contact the team in charge of Europa Domain Management (EU Login required).