> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://support.pears.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://support.pears.io/engage/program-activities/link-an-event-to-a-program-activity.md).

# Link an Event to a Program Activity

Learn how to link an existing community event to a program activity in PEARS, what the link does, and how to unlink an event.

If your organization uses the Community Events module, each program activity can be linked to one community event. Linking connects the direct education record to the event participants registered for, so the two records point to each other and event registrations can be used to calculate the program activity's demographics.

## Before You Begin

* Your organization must have the Community Events module turned on. An Organization Administrator enables it with the **Use Events Module** setting under **Events** in [Organization Settings](/administration/administration/organization-settings.md).
* You need permission to work with community events, such as the [Event Administrator](/accounts-and-permissions/accounts-and-permissions/directory/extension-roles.md) role, permission to publish events, or any other Community Events permission. Without it, the **Link Event** panel does not appear.
* The community event must already exist. To create one, see [Create a Community Event](/plan/community-events/create-a-community-event.md). To have PEARS create and link one for you from the program activity, see [Create an Event from a Program Activity](/engage/program-activities/create-an-event-from-a-program-activity.md).
* The program activity must be saved and must not be marked as complete. The **Link Event** button is hidden on completed program activities.

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

#### Open the Program Activity

From the PEARS homepage, hover over the **Engage** menu in the top navigation bar and click **Program Activities**. Click the program activity to open its detail page.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Click Link Event

In the right column of the detail page, below the **Progress** panel, find the **Link Event** panel and click the **Link Event** button. The **Link Community Event** dialog box appears.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Select the Event

In the **Link from an existing event** field, begin typing the event name and select the event from the matching options. Leave **Create a new event** empty. Filling in one field disables the other.

{% hint style="info" %}
**TIP:** Only events that are not already linked to another program activity appear in the list. Each event can be linked to one program activity, and each program activity to one event. If an event you expect is missing, check whether it is already linked elsewhere.
{% endhint %}
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Click Link Event

Click the **Link Event** button. The link is saved immediately; there is no separate Save step. PEARS confirms the link, and the panel changes to **Linked Event Details**.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

## After You Link an Event

The **Link Event** panel is replaced by a **Linked Event Details** card showing the event's start and end dates, whether it is **Published** or a **Draft**, its name, and its summary. The card offers two actions:

* **View Event** — opens the event's detail page in a new tab.
* **Unlink Event** — removes the link. See [Unlink an Event](#unlink-an-event).

Once an event is linked, the card also appears below the **Progress** panel on the program activity's workflow pages: General Information, Collaborators, Custom Data, Evaluation, and Demographics. Users who do not have Community Events permissions can see the card but not its buttons.

### Calculate Demographics from Event Registrations

When the linked event has at least one registration type with registrations and the program activity is in a 2023 or later reporting period, the program activity's Demographics page can fill in participant demographics from the event's registration data:

1. On the Demographics page, click **Auto Calculate**.
2. Select **Event registrations attached to this program** and click **Continue**.
3. If the event has more than one registration type, select the one to use.
4. Check **I only want to include demographics of people who attended the event** to count only participants marked as attended. Check **I would like to add new demographic data to existing demographic values instead of replacing them** to add to values already entered rather than overwrite them.
5. Click **Yes**.

See [Auto Calculate Program Activity Demographics](/engage/program-activities/auto-calculate-demographics.md) for the other available data sources.

### Where the Link Appears

The link is stored on the program activity record. It is not included in the Program Activities [Export](/engage/program-activities/export.md). The Data Mart's program activity table includes the linked event's ID.

{% hint style="warning" %}
**NOTE:** If you delete a program activity that has a linked event, PEARS lists the event as a warning on the confirmation page. Deleting the program activity does not delete the event, and deleting the event does not delete the program activity; the two are simply unlinked.
{% endhint %}

## Unlink an Event

To remove the link, click **Unlink Event** on the **Linked Event Details** card. PEARS confirms that the event was unlinked, and the **Link Event** panel returns so you can link a different event or create a new one.

Unlinking only removes the connection between the two records. The community event, its sessions, and its registrations are not changed, and any demographics already calculated on the program activity are kept.