Listings FAQs
We have the most comprehensive event listings in the UK and have a wide range of services related to events data, including distribution of information to over 50 sites and apps for transport operators, news organisations, DMOs, local councils and hotel operators.
1. What services exist on datathistle.com to allow me to send you information?
Anyone can take advantage of our four methods to send us information on events, as well as places/venues where events are held. We offer:
- Add an Event
- Update an Event
- Add a Place
- Update a Place
Our Content team checks all submissions, which come from a wide variety of sources including ticketing providers, venue staff, performers, promoters, PRs and members of the public. Many events have input from multiple sources.
2. My colleague sent you listings information for our venue, but I don’t have the log-in details to update it.
Anyone can amend events or venues, no matter who originally added them. By clicking the yellow button on the top right of the page that reads ‘Update this Event’ or ‘Update this Venue’, you can make changes by creating a free personal account and submitting them from there.
3. I've submitted an event – so now where is my listing?
Our Content team checks submissions against other sources and for duplicate information, and so information and images don’t appear on the website automatically. It is a two-step process: you can see where your event is in the process by clicking your name in the blue box anywhere on the website and selecting ‘Account Settings’. Please allow up to a week for updates to appear on the website. We are unable to provide individual feedback on images supplied but there is guidance on the update form.
We recommend submitting your listings as far in advance as possible of the event date, as more people will see your listing. Please supply new events at least four weeks in advance. Excepting critical updates such as cancellations, information provided about events less than fourteen days ahead is unlikely to be processed.
4. I've made a mistake but I've already pressed submit. How do I fix it?
Once submitted, an event is put into our processing queue. You can make amendments (including updating descriptions, dates, times and images) once it appears on the website by following the ‘Update this Event’ yellow button on the top right of the page. If you feel your mistake is dire and cannot wait to be fixed then email us. Be sure to clearly name the event and place/venue in your email.
5. What if I don't know all the information requested, such as the price, box office number or any other part of the form?
Not every section of the form needs to be filled in. The parts we must have are: event title, description, start date, start time, and venue. If you leave one of these parts blank, we may not be able to use your event information.
6. I can see my event on the website but I can't see the description I supplied – in fact, it says something I didn't write at all. Where did that come from?
Event descriptions published by Data Thistle come from a range of sources and may have a custom description written by a Content Producer which we prioritise. We also group different schedules of the same event so may omit information from the description if it is too specific to a certain date (e.g., you only mentioned that Ed Sheeran is playing at your venue, but he's also playing at 15 other venues).
7. Why did you change the title of my event?
We have a house style which makes Data Thistle more user-friendly to navigate. Additionally, we reuse pre-existing event titles where we can. For example, if you submitted 'Ancient Trees Nature Walk’ and we have an existing listing for 'Nature Walk – Ancient Trees', we will add your new dates to this listing. This is to the benefit of all: Data Thistle, your event and the people looking to attend your event.
8. I've submitted an event, but it says it's been marked as 'not used'.
A few of things could have happened here but common reasons are:
- The information is duplicate (e.g. two sources providing details of the same event).
- The listing was received too close to the event date (e.g. less than ten working days beforehand).
- The details are too vague (e.g. the description is too short).
- It was an offer, not an event (e.g. a sale at a store).
9. I can't seem to attach a photo. What's happening?
We are able to receive the following file formats: JPG (JPEG), GIF, PNG, BMP, TIF. If in doubt, use JPG. The trouble could also be that the file is too large, causing the upload process to time out. If you've used one of these formats and it’s a relatively small file, and still you cannot attach it, please submit your listing without the image and email us about your problem, including your image as a file attachment.
10. Why hasn't my photo been used? Why is my photo so small? Why has my poster or image been cropped?
This website uses two sizes of image: 300px wide and 620px wide. If your photo is smaller than 300px, unfortunately we can’t use it. If the dimensions of your image will disrupt the page layout, or the text on your poster will be too hard to read at 300px or 620px wide, we will crop it.
11. I've accidentally submitted a photo of my baby instead of my restaurant/band/booked act/etc. Help!
Don't worry – as with our listings, images are reviewed and are used if it matches the event to which it’s been submitted. We will make sure your baby does not appear on a listing for a roller derby event.
12. Why isn't my photo properly credited?!
When you submit, you need to tell us to whom to credit the photo by adding a comment in the 'Additional instructions' section of the submission form. If you forgot, you can send us a message by hitting the 'Update this event' button and filling in the 'Additional instructions' section of the submission form.
13. Why aren't all the events at my venue/organisation/club listed?
Unfortunately, our small team is not able to add every event at every venue in the country individually. However, there is good news! You can add all of your events using our submission form.
14. How do I make sure people notice my listing?
We recommend enriching your listing as much as possible. This means including images, useful links to additional content, social media accounts, websites, videos and photos. Listings that are updated get, on average, twice as much traffic as those that are not.
15. Do you distribute listings to third parties? Can I get listings for my own website?
Data Thistle distributes listings to a range of transport bodies, accommodation providers, tourism and destination marketing organisations, local media and other public bodies. We can send your listing in a structured format to third parties that you identify to us and we offer a range of ways to use our listings data, including a free widget. Additionally, we can supply you with a file of all the events at your venue for you to use and share with others.
16. Collecting and managing events data takes me a lot of time. Can Data Thistle help?
We offer an events data gathering service.
For any further questions, please email.