Anyone with a USC email address (your USC NetID) can submit events for publication approval to the main calendar calendar.usc.edu

Before you start, is your event venue properly booked?

The USC Event Calendar is not a venue reservation system. Before submitting your event in the Event Calendar, make sure your venue is properly reserved through the appropriate administrative unit in charge of the venue’s facility (where applicable). All events and gatherings must apply for a USC event permit and be approved prior to submitting an event with a venue. Please visit the Events and Activities page on the We Are SC website for more details.

Where do my events appear on calendar.usc.edu?

Once approved, your event will appear in three main places:

  • the department or tag feed landing page that you designated on the event
  • the All Events page, organized by date
  • any feed where matching filters assigned to the event are used

Step 1: 

Fill out the public event submission form.

Here are five tips that will get your event approved quickly:

  1. Submit early
    Make sure your event is submitted as far in advance as possible -target 3-5 weeks in advance, and a minimum of 72 hours.
  2. Make sure it’s complete
    Don’t skip important fields, especially date, time, and place! And selecting the event type will make your event easier for people to find. If you need help, there are detailed instructions for each field.
  3. Choose a good photo
    Good event photos are simple, with a clear, close crop, a person’s face or headshot works well, a scan of an event flyer does not.
  4. Write a short, clear title
    Remember that many people will look at your event on a small screen, and the title will likely be cut off. Make sure to front-load the important stuff and leave out filler words. Instead of “USC John Smith Center for Research presents Jane Doe addressing points of interest in Current American Politics in a lunchtime discussion” try “Brown Bag Lecture: Jane Doe on Politics.”
  5. Keep your description short
    Keep your descriptions short and sweet – the best descriptions are under 200 words. The goal is to get people to the event, so your description does not need to be exhaustive. Treat it as a teaser, not a transcript.

Tags: The event system uses tags to route and filter events – they are not considered hashtags for instagram or twitter. If you have a hashtag you want attendees to use, put that in the event description.

Step 2:

Wait for event approval and publication

  • If you specify a department on the form, the Event Admin for that department will review and approve your submission.
  • The events calendar editor will approve or reject your event if you do not specify the department. To be approved events must be:
    • sponsored by a USC department, organization, or student group
    • at least two business days in the future

Tip: you can find more information about USC’s imagery guidelines here: https://identity.usc.edu/identity/imagery/

Note to department admins: These instructions are for users who wish to submit events publicly without logging in as Event Admins. If you are an Event Admin responsible for a particular department calendar, please see instructions on how to Post an Event and skip the approval queue.