If you've ever submitted an event to the Inlander and wondered why it didn't show up online or in the paper right away, or have wanted to submit your event but weren't sure how or what to include, please take a scroll through the following information.
PLEASE NOTE: The most efficient method to submit events is via our online, user submission form at Inlander.com/getlisted.
What types of events does the Inlander publish?
As a general policy, the Inlander publishes events that would be of broad interest to our readers, and that complement the content of the Inlander's weekly editorial sections, including arts and culture, music, film, food and local news.
Events in the following categories are regularly published in print: benefit (charity fundraisers, like dinners and galas), comedy, community, film, food/drink, music, sports/outdoors, theater/performance arts, visual arts and words (literary events, lectures).
Other special event category tags include museums, holiday/seasonal and festivals.
There are also several online-only event categories: trivia, karaoke, open mic, crafts, gardening, education, farmers markets, and health and wellness. We occasionally print some of these events in the weekly print edition calendar (and sometimes under other category headings) when there's space. However, all live events in any category always be found online.
What types of events does the Inlander NOT publish?
Events you won't find in the Inlander calendar include, but are not limited to the following: class reunions, garage sales, religious services, industry-specific and/or general business meetings and events, webinars, continuing education, support groups, contests, grand openings, summer camps (those are printed in a yearly pull-out section we publish annually in early April; scroll down for more information) and exercise and fitness classes. On occasion there are exceptions to the categories listed above, considered on a case-by-case basis.
What information do I need to include about my event?
We accept everything from very brief event submissions to full press releases or press packets. All are fine, as long as the following information is included:
> Event name
> Brief event description: A one-to-two sentence explanation; will be edited for space and wording
> Date and time
> Cost
> Age restrictions (if applicable)
> Location (venue name + address)
> Event contact information (A phone number, email address and/or website where readers can find for more information, purchase tickets or sign up to attend. You can list the event venue's website/phone, or direct contact info for someone organizing the event. NOTE: If this field is left blank, the system automatically pulls a phone number or website on file for the host venue.
Here's a sample listing:
SPOKANE SYMPHONY CLASSICS
"A Hero's Life" featuring works by Strauss and Verdi. March 16 at 8 pm and March 17 at 3 pm. $14+. Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox, 1001 W. Sprague Ave. spokanesymphony.org (624-1200)
How early should I submit my event?
To ensure your event is seen by staff before our print deadline each week, all events are due by Thursday at 5 pm the week before the issue of the Inlander in which you want your listing to appear. Events submitted after that deadline are not guaranteed to appear in the following week's print edition. We do our best to get late submissions listed online in a timely manner.
You can submit events earlier than this — we strongly encourage users to do so themselves via our online event submission form at Inlander.com/getlisted — but that does not guarantee your info will be listed more than once if there are several weeks between the time you submit the details and the event date. Unfortunately, space does not always allow us to list events more than one week in advance because we receive so many.
What's the best way to submit an event?
The best and most efficient method to submit events is via our online, user submission form at Inlander.com/getlisted.
To get here from our homepage, inlander.com, look to the right side of the screen under the heading "Things to Do" for the "Submit an Event" button.
Most of the events we publish are submitted this way, but if you're unable to do so, please send us all the details via email to getlisted@inlander.com.
If you submit online, your event will be edited and approved before events that were submitted via email. Our listings editor makes an effort to edit and publish user-submitted listings throughout the work week (Monday-Friday), which means these events are usually "live" shortly after you submit, and remain so through the date it occurs.
Another great benefit of submitting online is the option to include an event photo or poster (images must be a .jpg or .png file type; we can't accept PDFs, stock photos, business logos or clip art) with your event info. You must have rights to publish any photos with your event.
I've submitted my info, but need to make a change. How do I do this?
You'll need to email us the details that need to be updated or changed.
Events that were already submitted — whether they're "live" or still pending review — can't be edited by you, the user, once we've received them. Please send changes by email to getlisted@inlander.com and make sure to clearly state which event the changes are for. If an event sells out in advance, we can also add a "sold out" notice to alert readers. There is also an option to mark events as cancelled without deleting it from our database so that interested attendees can still access the info.
I can't log in to my account to submit my event online. What should I do?
There are several quick troubleshoot options you can try first, such as using a different Internet browser, clearing your browser's cookies or using "incognito mode." If the issue persists, please send the information you are trying to submit by email to getlisted@inlander.com.
You can also let us know in that email that you're having issues with your Inlander.com account, which we can delete so you can make a new one. For your security, we are unable to reset passwords on our end, and thus need to delete your existing account if you'd like to sign up with the same email address.
You have a duplicate of my event that I didn't submit. Who did?
As of mid-2019, we added a new feature that automatically imports local events from Eventbrite, Ticketmaster, TicketsWest, Ticketfly and Brown Paper Tickets, which may be how we received info on your event info before you could send it to us.
Other times, our staff may have seen the event somewhere (Facebook, the host venue's website, etc.) and created a listing to ensure it wasn't missed or received too late. Or, the host venue may have entered the info.
Regardless of how we receive event details, we try to merge duplicates when we can, but also ask that users please search first to see if their event is already in the system and, if it is, to send any needed changes or updates directly to us versus sending a completely new calendar entry.
Why can't the Inlander print my event every single week if it's ongoing?
One-time events take precedence over weekly, recurring events. If you have submitted an ongoing, weekly event that fits the rest of our submission guidelines, you don't need to submit it to us every week. When you initially submit, though, please note when the event will no longer happen on a recurring basis and we will keep track of when to stop listing it. Again, if there are changes to the event after you've submitted it, please let us know by email or phone as soon as possible.
What if I want to publicize my event in the print edition of the Inlander several weeks before it happens?
If you want people to know about an event weeks in advance, the best option is to take out a paid advertisement in addition to submitting the event information to the calendar.
To find out more about ad rates, please email sales@inlander.com or call to speak to someone in the advertising department (509-325-0634).
Keep in mind that events submitted online show up on our website as soon as we approve the listing, usually within a few days after submission, which means more people may see when you submit early.
What can I do to improve the chances of my event being listed in the paper?
Since the events calendar is a free service based on available space, we cannot guarantee that all events — even those that meet submission guidelines — will be printed. If there is not enough space in an issue to run all of the events occurring during that issue's Thursday through Wednesday cycle, some events are unfortunately omitted from the print version. However, those events that have been cut from print still are published online. In each calendar section of the print edition, we try to include a note directing readers to check out all local event listings online.
How much does it cost to list an event in the calendar?
As an editorial section of the paper, there is no cost to list events in the calendar.
If you buy ad space separately to promote your event, there is no guarantee it will be listed in print (we are not a "pay-to-play" publication). And since the calendar is editorial content, we reserve the right to edit any flowery phrasing and/or promotional marketing language.
In late 2019, the Inlander began offering a feature (see section on PROMOTED EVENTS below) that allows users pay a fee for promotional placement and/or priority search sorting of their event. Use of this feature doesn't change how an event is considered for print consideration, and we still reserve the right to edit the listing's categorization and description text.
What about First Friday art show events?
Because our print calendar space is limited, we're not able to list all participating First Friday art shows in print each month. Most gallery events for First Friday submitted online are listed as web-only calendar entries.
To get your First Friday event listed online, please submit your art show information no later than a week before First Friday. We need to know artists' names, a quick description of the show or their work, the reception time and the show's dates if it runs through the month or longer. High-resolution images of the artist's work are also appreciated.
Doesn't the Inlander have an entire section for music events?
Yes. Our feature called "Sound Advice" (on hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic) runs in the Music section, directly before the regular events calendar, and includes concerts and live music performances, as well as live DJs, open mic nights and jam sessions in clubs and bars around the Inland Northwest happening during each issue's time span (Thursday-Wednesday). Classical music performances like Spokane Symphony concerts, however, run in the regular events calendar under "Music."
How do I get my shows listed in Sound Advice?
Sound Advice includes live music performances happening in the Inlander's distribution area. If you're a local musician or venue that hosts live music, details are due to our music editor (contact info below) each Monday by 5 pm for events from that Thursday through the following Wednesday. If the space for the local live music listings is tight and we aren't able to run all the events in the paper, our Music Editor decides which events to cut. Those events that end up not making it in print, however, are listed online.
If you'd like to sign up for our weekly email call for music listings that goes out every Wednesday, please contact Music Editor Seth Sommerfeld at seths@inlander.com.
PROMOTED EVENTS
As of late 2019, we introduced a paid event promotion feature for events on Inlander.com. (Opting in to this feature does not guarantee inclusion in print.)
Two paid options are available: "search promotion spot" and "priority sort."
"Search promotion spot" lets you pay $10 per calendar date to have your event shown above the search results on the events landing page (Inlander.com/events) in a rotating "Promoted Events" box along with other highlighted events.
"Priority sort" is a feature that lets users pay $5 per day to have an event sorted to the top of any search results that their event falls under, including selected date ranges and event categories.
You can choose one or both options to help boost your event, and for any number of days.
For print inclusion, promoted events are considered equally alongside all other events, based on space and appropriateness for our print calendar categories.
All events with paid promotions are subject to the same editorial editing processes listed in these guidelines. This means your event may be edited for clarity, word choice, grammar and space. Please consider purchasing an ad, which offers more customization and content control, if this may be an issue for you.
We are unable to offer refunds for paid promotions unless an egregious error, technical or otherwise, has occurred. If something is missing from a listing, please reach out to us as soon as possible (getlisted@inlander.com) to request a connection or revision.
We do our best to approve events with paid promotions as soon as possible. Please note that regular office hours are Monday-Friday, from 9 am to 5 pm, and that staff are not regularly available to approve paid promotions submitted during, and/or selected to begin a promotion period, over the weekend or after hours.
HOW TO SUBMIT TO SPECIAL EVENT GUIDES
SUMMER CAMPS
The Inlander's annual Summer Camps Guide, published in early April, contains information on regional camps for kids and teens during summer break. We strive to be as comprehensive as possible, listing both resident and day camps; sports, arts, faith-based and learning-centric camps, among many others offered around the Inland Northwest.
In 2022, this guide is being published April 7. Please submit your camp information at Inlander.com/submitcamps or email it to getlisted@inlander.com before Friday, March 25. Please DO NOT submit your camp schedules via the Inlander's regular online event form.
Make sure to include the following:
> Title/name of the camp (this may also be the camp's actual name; i.e. Camp Four Echoes)
> Age range or grades, and genders, the camp is best suited for (ex: Ages 13-18; boys grades 2-5)
> Cost
> Dates of camp (if offered more than once, please break down the date ranges of each session; including by age, if necessary)
> A brief description of camp programs and activities
> Location/address
> Website and phone number (for parents to register or find more information)
> For editorial purposes, please also tell us the main contact person for your camp and how to reach them if we have questions
SUMMER GUIDE
Every mid-June, the Inlander publishes a 10-week guide to summer activities in the Inland Northwest. It's usually our biggest issue of the year and includes an overview of things to do in all our regular calendar activity categories, like the outdoors, dining, music, family events and more.
Part of this annual guide is a massive 10-week events calendar, into which we pack as much info as we can. To make sure we have your event details in time for Summer Guide, please make sure to submit before the end of May. In 2022, the Summer Guide is coming out on June 16.
FALL ARTS GUIDE
Similar to Summer Guide, the annual Fall Arts issue highlights things to do in the Inland Northwest centered around the arts and starting with the fall season (since most arts organizations, like symphonies and theaters, take breaks over the summer).
The types of events and happenings for Fall Arts center around music, literature, visual arts and performance arts, including live theater, dance, film and spoken word. Content of the guide includes a mix of feature-length stories and previews of the many artistic and cultural events happening from mid-September through the end of the year. A 13-week calendar of events, similar to our Summer Guide calendar, is also included.
In 2022, the Fall Arts guide is scheduled for publication on Sept. 22. We need to know about your arts events happening from then through Dec. 31, 2022 by the end of August. You can submit online or email us your schedule to getlisted@inlander.com.
HOLIDAY GUIDE
The Inlander's annual Holiday Guide issue gives readers a comprehensive look at activities going on around the Inland Northwest during the weeks leading up to Christmas and New Year's, including both holiday and non-holiday themed events. Published in the same format as our weekly print calendar, the holiday guide calendar includes events from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day.
Events are included based on available space and are also listed online. The Holiday Guide calendar's deadline is the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. (Note: Religious and nonsecular services are not included in the holiday events calendar.)
Updated December 2021 by Associate Editor Chey Scott (cheys@inlander.com)
