MEC AI: Create Events and Categories with AI
MEC AI helps you build your calendar faster. Instead of filling in every field by hand, describe what you need in plain language and MEC turns your brief into a structured preview. You review and fine-tune it, and only then is anything created.
MEC AI can create:
- Events (saved as drafts), from the MEC AI page or directly from the Add New Event screen with AI Mode.
- Categories.
- Tags, labels, locations, organizers, speakers, and sponsors.
Key points before you start:
- Nothing is created until you confirm the preview. Events are always saved as drafts, never published automatically.
- MEC AI uses the AI provider configured in WordPress. MEC never asks for an API key and never stores your credentials.
- Existing content is never modified. Categories that already exist are skipped, not updated.
Requirements
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| WordPress AI | Your site must have the WordPress AI Client available with a text-generation provider (such as OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google) configured in WordPress Connectors. |
| Image generation (optional) | If your provider also supports image generation, MEC AI can create a featured image for your event, and an image for locations, organizers, speakers (picture) and sponsors (logo). Creating images for these items also requires permission to upload files. |
| User role | You need an administrator role or MEC settings access to use MEC AI and AI Mode. To create terms such as tags or locations you also need permission to manage that taxonomy. |
| MEC Booking (optional) | Tickets are only created when the MEC booking module is active. Everything else works without it. |
| Speakers and Sponsors (optional) | The speaker task appears only when the Speakers module is enabled in MEC Settings > Event Modules. The sponsor task appears only in MEC Pro with the Sponsors module enabled. |
First-Time Setup
If AI is not configured yet, the MEC AI page shows a short setup guide with three steps. Follow it in order:
- Open WordPress Connectors and install a provider connector that supports text generation (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and so on).
- Connect and configure the provider. Add its credentials and pick a text-generation model. Credentials are managed by WordPress, not MEC.
- Return to MEC AI. The tasks appear automatically once text generation is available.
Depending on your setup, the guide may instead ask you to enable the WordPress AI plugin, or to approve MEC in Connector Approvals so WordPress allows MEC to use your provider. In every case the page links directly to the WordPress screen you need.
The AI Readiness Panel
The sidebar on the right shows what MEC AI can use right now:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| WordPress AI capability (blue dot) | The WordPress AI Client is built in and available. |
| Text generation (blue dot) | A text provider is ready. This is required for all tasks. |
| Image generation (blue dot) | An image provider is configured. Optional, and without it items are created without an image. |
| Gray dot | The item is optional and not configured. |
| Amber dot | Action needed. Open the linked WordPress screen to fix it. |
The Open WordPress Connectors link below the list takes you straight to the provider settings.
Creating an Event with AI Mode
You do not have to leave the editor to use MEC AI. When you add a new event, an AI Mode button appears right below the event title.
- Go to M.E. Calendar > Add Event.
- Click AI Mode. The Create Event with AI window opens. If AI is not set up yet, the window shows the same setup guide as the MEC AI page.
- Describe the event in your own words and click Generate event preview.
- Review and adjust the preview (see Creating an Event with AI below), then confirm.
- When the draft is created without warnings, MEC takes you straight to the draft in the event editor so you can continue editing.
AI Mode appears only on the Add New Event screen, not when you edit an existing event, and only for administrators or users with MEC settings access.
Creating Categories with AI
Use this task to generate a set of event categories (up to 25 per batch) in one go.
- Go to MEC → AI in your WordPress admin.
- In step 1, choose Create categories.
- In step 2, describe the categories you want. See the writing tips below for examples.
- Click Generate category preview and wait a few seconds.
- Review each suggested category in step 3:
- Include checkbox: uncheck any suggestion you do not want.
- Icon: click the icon button to open the MEC icon picker and search for a different icon.
- Color: use the color picker to change the category color.
- Suggestions whose name already exists in your calendar are marked “Already exists, so it will be skipped” and cannot be selected.
- Click Create selected categories.
The result summary lists every created category with an edit link, plus anything that was skipped.
Names, descriptions, icons, and colors in the preview are AI suggestions. Always give them a quick review. You are the editor, the AI is the assistant.
Creating Tags, Labels, Locations, Organizers, Speakers, and Sponsors
These tasks work like the category task: describe what you need, review the suggestions, then create only the ones you keep.
- Go to MEC → AI and choose the task in step 1: Create tags, Create labels, Create locations, Create organizers, Create speakers, or Create sponsors.
- Describe what you need in the prompt box. The prompt can be up to 6,000 characters.
- Click Generate preview.
- In Review suggestions, edit any field, uncheck what you do not want, and click Create selected. You can create between 1 and 25 items at a time.
Every suggestion needs a name, and names must be unique within the preview. Fields you can review depend on the item type:
| Task | Fields in the preview | Optional image |
|---|---|---|
| Tags | Name | No |
| Labels | Name, color, and style (Normal, Featured, Canceled, or Custom) | No |
| Locations | Name, address, opening hours, website, latitude, and longitude | Yes (thumbnail) |
| Organizers | Name, phone, email, website, page label, and social links | Yes (thumbnail) |
| Speakers | Name, type (person or group), job title, phone, email, website, and social links | Yes (thumbnail) |
| Sponsors | Name and website link | Yes (logo) |
Latitude must be between -90 and 90 and longitude between -180 and 180. Email and website values are validated, and a label needs a valid color. If a value is not valid, MEC tells you which field to fix before it creates anything.
Creating an Event with AI
Use this task to turn an event description into a complete event draft.
- Go to MEC → AI and choose Create an event in step 1 (or use AI Mode on the Add New Event screen).
- Describe the event in your own words: title, date and time, location, organizer, schedule, tickets, and whether it repeats. The more you include, the less you edit later.
- Click Generate event preview.
- Review the preview:
- Quick edits: fix the title, start and end date and time, categories, tags, and labels. Separate multiple names with commas. New terms are created automatically.
- Tickets: adjust prices and capacity for each ticket type.
- Event summary: the description, location, organizer, repeat rule, hourly schedule, and the generated featured image.
- Warnings: amber notes about anything that could not be included, for example tickets when booking is off.
- Click Create event draft and open the draft with the provided link to continue editing in MEC.
The draft includes everything from the preview: terms, location, organizer, hourly schedule, repeat rule, tickets (when booking is active), and the featured image (when image generation is available).
An event preview expires after about 30 minutes. If you leave the page for a long time before confirming, generate a new preview and try again.
Writing a Good Brief
A brief is just plain language, but a few ingredients make the results much better.
For categories, tags, and labels, include:
- the kinds of events or audiences they should cover,
- how many you want, or examples to include,
- the tone of the descriptions, and naming rules to follow.
For locations, organizers, speakers, and sponsors, include:
- the names you already know, or the kind of people and places you need,
- any details you want filled in, such as addresses, job titles, or websites. Fields the AI does not know are left empty rather than invented.
For events, include:
- title, purpose, audience, and the tone of the description,
- venue, organizer, date, start and end time, and whether it repeats,
- categories, labels, and tags to use,
- agenda items and ticket names, prices, and capacities,
- whether you want a featured image. Say “do not generate an image” if you do not.
Example, categories:
Create categories for a community arts centre with classes, workshops,
performances, family activities, and seasonal events. Use short friendly
names and one-sentence descriptions.
Example, event:
Generate an event for a math class in Coquitlam on August 18, 2026, from
4pm to 6pm, repeating every two weeks until November. The organizer is
Tri-City Tutoring. Include three ticket types: Standard $25, Student $15,
and Group (4 seats) $80. Friendly, professional description.
Troubleshooting
| Message or symptom | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| “Set up a text AI provider first” | No text-generation provider is configured in WordPress. | Open WordPress Connectors from the setup card and configure a provider. |
| “Approve MEC to use your AI provider” | WordPress Connector Approval is blocking MEC. | Open Connector Approvals and grant MEC access to your provider. |
| “MEC Booking is not active, so tickets will not be created” | The booking module is off. | Enable MEC Booking to keep ticket data, or ignore it. The draft is still created. |
| The AI Mode button is missing | AI Mode only shows on the Add New Event screen, for administrators and users with MEC settings access. | Open Add Event (not an existing event) with a suitable user role. |
| A task (for example Speakers or Sponsors) is not listed | The matching module is disabled, or sponsors are used on MEC Lite. | Enable the module in MEC Settings > Event Modules. Sponsors need MEC Pro. |
| “You do not have permission to manage this taxonomy” | Your user cannot create terms in that taxonomy. | Use a user with the right permission, or ask an administrator. |
| No featured image in the preview | No image-generation provider is configured, or generation failed. | The event is still created. You can add an image manually on the event edit screen. |
| Category marked “Already exists” | A category with the same name is already in your calendar. | Nothing to do. It is skipped automatically and never changed. |
| “This event preview has expired” | The preview was generated more than about 30 minutes ago. | Generate a new preview and confirm again. |
| “The AI request could not be completed” / “MEC could not generate suggestions” | The provider rejected or failed the request. | Check your provider connection in WordPress, then try again. |
FAQ
Is my content published automatically? No. Events are created as drafts. Categories and other terms are created only for the items you selected in the preview. You always get the last word.
Does MEC see or store my API key? No. All AI credentials live in WordPress Connectors. MEC only asks WordPress to run the request.
What is sent to the AI provider? Your brief plus context the AI needs to be accurate: your existing category, label, and tag names and, for events, existing locations and organizers. This helps the AI reuse your terms instead of inventing duplicates.
Can the AI update or delete my existing events and categories? No. MEC AI only creates new content. Existing names are matched and reused, never modified.
Why is the generated description not perfect? AI output is a first draft. Use the quick-edit fields and the event editor afterwards. That is exactly what the review step is for.
Can I generate an image without generating an event? For events, image generation is part of the event task and produces the featured image. If you do not want one, write “do not generate an image” in your brief. For locations, organizers, speakers, and sponsors, an image can be generated for a suggestion in the review step when your provider supports it.
MEC AI follows the review-first workflow: generate, review, confirm. If anything in the preview looks wrong, edit it or regenerate. Nothing is saved until you click the final button.