Schema Structured Data
Google Search works hard to understand the content of millions of webpages. After Google crawls your webpages, each Google product applies its own rules when deciding whether and how to display your data.

You can help by providing explicit clues about the meaning of your webpage to Google. Generally, this is done by the keywords, but a more advanced way is by including structured data on the webpage.

Schema is a more advanced technique that will involve your web developer. Structured data is a standardized format for providing information about a page and classifying the page content.  For example, on an event page it is looking for what the event is, when and where the event occurs, the time, price, and so on.

So what content is Google looking for?
Required event properties are:
•    Location/venue name
•    Location address
•    Name of the event
•    Start date

A valid event name must be specific like: Lake Cumberland Poker Run
Including promotions and non-event information results in an invalid event name. A few examples:
•    Trip package like Visit the Bourbon Trail, 2 nights (non-event products or services.)
•    Special hotel rates during the event (non-event information)
•    Concert – buy your tickets now! (promotion)

Recommended, but not required, are the more promotional aspects of the event that we encourage you include in your structured data to more fully tell the story. Contact us if you need help.

Many CVBs have outside events, so here are some best practices for location:
•    If the event happens across several streets, define the starting location and mention the full details in description.
•    If the event happens without a well-defined location, use the city name or the most representative location.
•    If the event happens at multiple locations at the same time, create different events for each location.

Google search results will display as rich snippets only for events that are in the future and that appear to be valid events. A valid event has a name, date, and location, and follows the content guidelines.