How to Create an Event in Meta Business Suite

Hosting an event on Facebook remains one of the best ways to connect with your community, whether it's an online webinar or an in-person workshop. This guide will walk you through creating, promoting, and tracking your event using Meta Business Suite, ensuring you have everything you need to make it a success.

First, Why Use Facebook Events?

In a nutshell, Facebook Events put your gathering directly in front of the audience you've already built. They are highly visible, easy to share, and come with built-in tools for interaction and promotion. When a user marks themselves as "Going" or "Interested" in your event, it shows up in their friends' feeds, creating organic buzz that’s hard to replicate elsewhere. Best of all, managing them through Meta Business Suite centralizes all your tools in one place, from creation to promotion and analysis.

Before You Create: Gather Your Event Details

A little preparation goes a long way. Before you even open Meta Business Suite, have the following information handy. Trust us, it makes the process much smoother.

• Event Name: Make it clear, compelling, and searchable. Include keywords people might use to find your event. Instead of "Workshop," try "Beginner's Sourdough Baking Workshop."
• Detailed Description: This is your sales pitch. What is the event about? What will attendees learn or experience? Who is it for? Be thorough and engaging. Use bullet points or short paragraphs to make it easy to scan.
• Cover Art: A high-quality cover photo or video is non-negotiable. It's the first thing people see. The recommended size is 1920x1005 pixels. Make sure it visually represents the event and includes minimal text.
• Date and Time: Double-check the exact start and end times, including the time zone. Facebook automatically defaults to your local time zone, so be mindful if you have a national or global audience.
• Location (or Link): For an in-person event, have the full address ready. For an online event, decide on your platform (Facebook Live, Zoom, Google Meet) and have the link available, or know that you'll add it later.
• Ticketing Information: If you're selling tickets, have the link to your sales page (like Eventbrite, Shopify, or your own website) ready to go.

How to Create an Event in Meta Business Suite: Step-by-Step

Once you have your details organized, it's time to build the event page. The interface is straightforward, but knowing what each field does is important for maximizing your event's reach.

1. Navigate to the Events Tab

Start by logging into your Meta Business Suite account. From the left-hand navigation menu, look for the "Events" tab. If you don’t see it immediately, you may need to click "All tools" to find it. Once in the Events dashboard, you'll see a blue button in the top right corner that says "Create event." Click it.

2. Choose Your Event Type: In-Person or Online

The first choice you'll make is whether your event is happening in a physical location or online. Your selection here changes the next set of options.

• In-Person: Select this for workshops, store openings, meetups, or any gathering at a physical venue. You will be required to enter a full street address.
• Online: Choose this for webinars, live Q&A sessions, virtual conferences, etc. You’ll then get options for how you want to host it online.

If you choose "Online," you'll see a few more choices:

• Facebook Live: Host the event directly on your Facebook Page. This is great for keeping your audience within the Facebook ecosystem.
• External Link: Use this option if you're hosting on a platform like Zoom, Google Meet, or another webinar service. You'll provide the link for attendees to join.
• Other: This is a catch-all category. You'll specify how people can join in the event description (e.g., "Tune in to our Instagram Live.").

3. Fill In the Core Event Information

Now, it's time to fill in the essential details you gathered earlier. Here’s a breakdown of each field:

Event Details

• Event Name: Enter the clear and descriptive name for your event.
• Start/End Date and Time: Select the day and times for your event. You can also create a recurring event by adding multiple dates.
• Description: Copy and paste your well-crafted description here. This is also a great place to add an agenda, mention guest speakers, or answer frequently asked questions. Don't forget to include a final call to action!
• Category: Choose a category that best fits your event (e.g., Music, Food & Drink, Business). This helps Facebook recommend your event to users with similar interests.

Location

If you chose an in-person event, start typing the venue name or address, and select the correct one from the drop-down menu. For online events, this is where you'll paste your Zoom link or select the Facebook Live option.

4. Set Up Admission and Ticketing

Right below the description, you’ll find the "Admission" section. Click "Add a link to tickets" to bring up the ticketing options.

• If your event is free, you can leave this blank, and the event page will show that admission is free.
• If your event requires tickets, paste the URL to your ticketing page here. Facebook will display a "Get Tickets" button on your event page that directs users to this link. It also shows a small preview of the prices you can set, though the actual transaction happens on your site.

5. Advanced Event Options

Click "Next" to move on to the fine-tuning options. Here you can control the experience for your attendees.

• Event Photo or Video: This is critical. Upload the stunning cover art you prepared earlier. Remember, visual appeal matters.
• Event Settings: Here you can decide if attendees can post in the event, if posts require approval, and if attendees can message you a question through Messenger. For most community-focused events, allowing for posts without approval can boost engagement.
• Co-hosts: Are you partnering with another business or influencer? You can add their Facebook page as a co-host here. The event will appear on their Page too, instantly expanding your reach to their audience.
• Show Guest List: You can choose whether to make the list of who is "Going" public. For networking events, keeping it visible can encourage others to join when they see people they know attending.

6. Publish and Promote

Once you’ve filled everything out, give it one final review. Check for typos, confirm the dates and times are correct, and ensure your ticketing link works. When you're ready, click "Publish Event."

Alternatively, you have the option to "Save as Draft" if you’re not ready to go live, or "Schedule Event" to publish it at a later date and time. This is useful for aligning your event announcement with a broader marketing campaign.

After You Publish: How to Promote Your Event

Creating the event is only half the battle. Now you need to get the word out. Meta Business Suite provides several tools to help you do this effectively.

1. Share It on Your Page

Your event won't automatically post to your page's feed. Immediately after publishing, create a post announcing the event and share the event page directly. In your post, explain why people should attend and encourage them to respond and share.

2. Invite Directly

For a short period after creating an event, Facebook allows you to directly invite a selection of your followers. Use this wisely! Invite people you feel would be genuinely interested, as this can kickstart your initial "Going" and "Interested" numbers.

3. Use Facebook and Instagram Ads

For events that drive revenue or major business goals, putting an ad budget behind them is essential. You can easily "Boost Event" directly from the event page or create a more targeted campaign in Ads Manager.

An "Event Responses" ad campaign is specifically designed to get more people to click "Going" or "Interested." You can target users based on interests, behaviors, location, or even create a lookalike audience from your past ticket purchasers.

4. Engage in the Discussion Tab

Don't let your event page become a static billboard. Use the discussion tab to build hype and engage with potential attendees. Post behind-the-scenes content, introduce speakers, run polls asking what people want to learn, or share reminders as the date gets closer. Actively responding to questions here shows you are an engaged and attentive host.

Tracking Your Event’s Performance

Understanding what worked (and what didn't) is key to improving your future events. Meta Business Suite collects performance data for you in the "Events" tab. Here you can see key metrics like:

• Post Reach: How many unique people saw posts about your event.
• Responses: The number of people who clicked "Going" or "Interested."
• Ticket Clicks: How many times people clicked your "Get Tickets" link.
• Audience Engagement: Clicks, likes, and comments on your Discussion feed content.

If you're using a third-party ticketing site and want to bridge the gap between Facebook responses and actual sales, using UTM parameters on your ticketing link can be a game-changer. This allows you to track exactly which sales came from your Facebook Event page in tools like Google Analytics.

Final Thoughts

Creating an event in Meta Business Suite is a straightforward process that provides a powerful foundation for connecting with your audience. By preparing your details, using the platform's features effectively, and actively promoting your event, you can drive registrations and foster a strong sense of community.

As your marketing efforts grow, you’ll find yourself tracking event responses on Facebook, ticket sales in Shopify, and web traffic in Google Analytics. Pulling all that data together to find clear answers can be a huge time-sink. That's why we created Graphed. We connect to all your marketing and sales platforms, allowing you to instantly build real-time dashboards and reports just by asking questions in plain English. Instead of juggling CSVs, you can get insights in seconds, helping you understand your full event performance without the manual reporting grunt work.