Should I delete past events?

Usually not. A recap under the same address keeps the visibility; deleting throws it away. Deletion only makes sense if nobody visits the page anyway.

How quickly after the event should I update the page?

Within a few days. After that, the eye gets used to it and the announcement can sit there for months.

Where else does an old event show up?

Homepage, sidebar, banners, the events overview and the newsletter archive. The sidebar is the most commonly forgotten spot.

What if I don't have any upcoming events to list?

An honest note beats an empty or stale list: say when the next dates will be confirmed instead of leaving the last one visible.

How do I stop people registering for an event that's already happened?

Disable the registration form and any reminder emails as soon as the event ends, before you deal with the page text itself.

Is it worth keeping a recap page for a one-off event?

If it drew any real traffic or press mentions, yes — a short recap preserves that visibility. For a small internal event, an archive listing is usually enough.

How do I handle events that get postponed rather than completed?

Update the date on the same page immediately, and add a short note explaining the postponement so visitors don't think the information is simply wrong.

After the event: what happens to the event page

After an event, the announcement shouldn't just sit there. Three approaches work: turn it into a recap, move it to an archive, or take it down with a redirect. What matters is that no past event still appears as upcoming on the homepage or in overviews.

August 5, 2026

Is your last event still showing as upcoming?

Enter your address — DustOff finds announcements whose date has already passed.

No account, no credit card. Takes a minute.

Why an old event notice hurts twice

First, it signals that nobody has looked at the site in months. Second, it hides the next event — someone skimming the page sees the old date and reads no further.

For clubs, clinics and event organisers, the event page is often the most-visited page on the whole site. That makes it stand out all the more when it's left stale.

Three clean ways to handle it afterward

There are exactly three sensible approaches after an event — all three beat leaving it as is:

Recap: the page stays at the same address, the text switches to past tense, with a few photos and a note on the outcome. Best when the page already gets visitors or is linked elsewhere.
Archive: the page moves into an overview of past events — visible, but clearly marked as over.
Take down with a redirect: only when nobody needs the page, pointing to the events overview instead of an error page.

Getting value out of the recap

A recap only works if it reads as one: the date in past tense, a sentence about the outcome, photos. What should disappear is the registration form — it's the most embarrassing leftover, because people actually try to sign up.

After every event, check the side paths too: disable the registration form, turn off reminder emails, and remove references from the homepage.

Where an old event shows up besides its own page

An event rarely lives only on its own page. Check the homepage, sidebar widgets, banners, the newsletter archive and the calendar in the main menu.

A sidebar mention is especially stubborn: it gets set up once and is never consciously read again after that.

Don't throw visibility away

If an event page has drawn visitors for years, deleting it is the most expensive option. A recap under the same address keeps that visibility and turns it into something useful: anyone searching finds proof the series exists — with the next date right next to it.

Recurring events deserve a series, not single posts

Anything that happens every year or every month shouldn't be built as a one-off entry, but as a series with a changing date. Then updating it is a quick edit instead of building a new page — and no stale entry gets left behind.

For the historical record, a simple overview page listing past years answers "does this happen regularly?" better than a scroll of individual old announcements.

How DustOff spots a leftover event

DustOff reads event and news pages and flags dates that have already passed while the wording still reads as an invitation — "join us on", "upcoming", a date that's behind today.

You get the excerpt by email, which is usually enough to decide in seconds whether it needs a recap, an archive, or a redirect.

Reads homepage, sidebar and event pages together
Flags past dates still phrased as upcoming
Keeps checking after each event without you remembering to look

Häufige Fragen

Should I delete past events?: Usually not. A recap under the same address keeps the visibility; deleting throws it away. Deletion only makes sense if nobody visits the page anyway.
How quickly after the event should I update the page?: Within a few days. After that, the eye gets used to it and the announcement can sit there for months.
Where else does an old event show up?: Homepage, sidebar, banners, the events overview and the newsletter archive. The sidebar is the most commonly forgotten spot.
What if I don't have any upcoming events to list?: An honest note beats an empty or stale list: say when the next dates will be confirmed instead of leaving the last one visible.
How do I stop people registering for an event that's already happened?: Disable the registration form and any reminder emails as soon as the event ends, before you deal with the page text itself.
Is it worth keeping a recap page for a one-off event?: If it drew any real traffic or press mentions, yes — a short recap preserves that visibility. For a small internal event, an archive listing is usually enough.
How do I handle events that get postponed rather than completed?: Update the date on the same page immediately, and add a short note explaining the postponement so visitors don't think the information is simply wrong.