wiki/knowledge/wordpress/vcedc-events-calendar-kit-integration.md · 618 words · 2026-04-05

VCEDC Events Calendar & KIT Integration Pattern

Overview

When a client uses KIT (formerly ConvertKit) as their primary CRM, all event registrations captured through a WordPress Events Calendar plugin must funnel into KIT — not remain siloed in WordPress. This pattern documents the required workflow, the rationale, and the constraints that shaped the decision for the VCEDC site rebuild.

This came up during a January 2026 site review where the Events page was found broken and the KIT integration had not yet been configured. See the source meeting notes for full context.

The Core Requirement

"Everything has to funnel from WordPress into KIT."
— Tracey Pilsner, VCEDC project coordinator

KIT is the client's official CRM and email marketing platform. All subscriber data — including event registrants — must land there so that:

Contacts are centralized for bulk email and marketing automation
Event-specific automations (confirmation emails, follow-ups) can be triggered from KIT
Staff turnover doesn't create data silos or orphaned contacts in WordPress

This is a non-negotiable integration requirement, not an optional enhancement.

Proposed Workflow

Create events in WordPress using The Events Calendar plugin
Integrate the plugin with KIT so that new registrants are automatically added as KIT subscribers
Apply event-specific tags in KIT at the point of registration (e.g., event-jan-20-2026)
Trigger KIT automations from those tags (confirmation emails, reminders, follow-ups)

This mirrors how VCEDC previously handled events via a third-party system (SiteCast), where a unique KIT tag ID was embedded as the trigger. The new WordPress-native approach should replicate that tagging behavior directly.

Prior Art: How VCEDC Used Tags Before

In the previous setup (SiteCast + ConvertKit):

Each event had a unique tag in KIT (e.g., tag ID 101-3764)
That tag ID was embedded in the SiteCast event configuration
Registration triggered the tag, which fired a KIT automation sequence

The new implementation should achieve the same outcome: each WordPress event maps to a KIT tag, and registration applies that tag to the subscriber record.

Design Constraints

Constraint	Detail
No complex custom code	Solution must be maintainable by future staff without developer involvement
WordPress remains the event creation tool	Staff create and manage events in the WP dashboard via The Events Calendar
KIT remains the CRM	All contacts, automations, and email sends live in KIT — not WordPress
Simple enough to hand off	If the project coordinator or agency relationship ends, a non-technical staff member must be able to operate the system

Implementation Status (as of January 2026)

[ ] Events page broken — no content rendering (Isahaque to fix)
[ ] Events Calendar plugin installed but not configured to display events
[ ] KIT integration not yet set up
[ ] Three events exist in WordPress but are not surfaced on the frontend
[ ] Jan 20th event copy pending from client (Tracey to obtain and share)

KIT credentials are stored in LastPass under kit.com.

Open Questions for Implementation

Which plugin or method will connect Events Calendar registrations to KIT? (native integration, Zapier, or a KIT-specific WordPress plugin)
Will each event get its own KIT tag, or will a single "event registrant" tag be used with segments?
How will existing WordPress form submissions (general contact) be distinguished from event registrations in KIT?

Isahaque was asked to investigate and propose a simple integration method before the follow-up meeting.

^[1] — Client overview
^[2] — General KIT tagging patterns
^[3] — Plugin configuration notes