Using PI Event Master Plugin for Ticketmaster Discovery API Event, building City landing pages are one of the most useful structures for an events site. They give visitors a clear local destination, create internal-linking hubs, and let one WordPress installation serve multiple markets. PI Event Master can build them with either the visual Shortcode Builder or Display on Pages—without writing PHP.
Plan the city page before generating a listing
Choose one geographic intent per page. “Events in Chicago” is clear; mixing Chicago, Milwaukee, sports, theatre, and a nationwide keyword into one query is not. Decide:
- city or postal-code targeting;
- optional radius and unit;
- all events or one meaningful category;
- live Ticketmaster data or imported WordPress events;
- grid, masonry, or list presentation;
- how many events to show before pagination.
Method 1: create a city shortcode
Open Settings → PI Event Master → Shortcode Builder. For a live city page:
- Select Live — Ticketmaster API.
- Choose a display style. A three-column grid is a strong general default; list view works well where dates and venues matter more than imagery.
- Set Events per Page and keep pagination enabled.
- Enter the city, or use postal code plus radius for a metro area.
- Add a Ticketmaster segment only if the page has a specific purpose.
- Copy the generated shortcode.
[tm_events source="live" size="12" style="grid" pagination="yes" city="Chicago"]Paste it into a WordPress Shortcode block. The builder also supports keyword, postal code, radius, miles or kilometres, category, and a start date for live queries. Imported listings can use WordPress category and tag slugs instead.
Method 2: use Display on Pages
If an editor should manage assignments without opening page content, use Display on Pages → Live Events. Select an existing WordPress page, add an optional listing title, choose before or after page content, then configure the same location and category filters. Save the assignment and PI Event Master injects the listing automatically.
This is useful for sites with established editorial pages. The page can contain original city information while event output remains centrally managed. Saved assignments can be updated or removed from the plugin screen.
Use postal radius for real metro areas
A city-name query follows Ticketmaster’s location data, which may exclude nearby venues. For pages such as “Events near downtown” or “Concerts around 60601,” use a postal code and radius:
[tm_events source="live" size="12" style="grid-2" pagination="yes" postalcode="60601" radius="25" radius_unit="miles"]Test the output before publishing. A very large radius can dilute local relevance; a very small radius can omit venues visitors consider part of the city.
Make each city page editorially distinct
The event feed should not be the entire page. Add a concise introduction explaining the geographic coverage, popular venue links, transport or parking guidance, seasonal event notes, and links to related category pages. Avoid copying the same paragraph and changing only the city name.
A practical hierarchy is:
- Country or region hub → city pages;
- City page → music, sports, theatre, family, and venue pages;
- Category page → individual event detail pages.
Keep multiple listings predictable
PI Event Master supports multiple shortcodes on one page and paginates them independently. Still, two or three focused sections are easier to browse than six competing grids. If the page needs “Featured,” “Music,” and “Sports,” keep the first section compact and link to dedicated category pages for complete listings.
Performance and testing
Each unique city, category, radius, and layout combination creates its own live cache entry. Enable live caching and begin with a one-hour expiry. While logged in as an administrator, append ?piwpt_nocache=1 to bypass cached output during setup.
Before launch, test an empty-result scenario, mobile layout, pagination, virtual detail links, and the ticket destination. Then link the city page from navigation or a regional hub. A city page becomes valuable when it is discoverable, locally useful, and maintained—not merely because a shortcode exists.
