In this day and age, organizing an event without an event website is like shooting yourself in the foot. Why limit your ability to reach new attendees, showcase sponsors and make event organizing simple? This guide provides you with everything you need to know about creating an effective event website, no matter the size, scope or format.

Why You Need An Event Website

Event websites are crucial on several levels. They’re beneficial for attendees, convenient for you and an attractive place for sponsors and other advertisers. 

Event Websites for Attendees

Creating a website gives your attendees a one-stop shop for all things related to your event. Registration, venue info, FAQ, even recommendations for sights to see in the area your event is held – you need a website as a hub for attendees to reference. Don’t let your attendees scramble across social media accounts, frantically Google or flood your inbox with questions about your event. An event website should be the first place you point attendees for everything from tickets to timelines.

Further, an event website makes your presence known and attracts new attendees. A bespoke website signals reliability and professionalism. Plus, utilizing search engine optimization will help you attract potential guests better than relying on your social media accounts. Boost your presence for attendees of all kinds with an event website.  

Event Websites for Organizers 

A great event website makes your job as an event organizer that much easier. If your website is the central information hub for your attendees, it should be for you, too. Internal functions like ticket sales, event registration information and event turnout can be tracked with a great website. PheedLoop knows a thing or two about creating user-friendly event sites; embed registration forms and complete sales from one convenient location instead of wrangling link after link. 

Event Websites for Sponsors

Having a stellar online presence with a well-designed event website is attractive to sponsors. Work sponsor placements like banners or pop-ups into your sponsorship agreements to promote visibility. A highly-trafficked event website guarantees visibility for your sponsors, and is a great place to show off your sponsor slate.

Website Layout, Design and Branding Techniques

Now that you know why having an event website is so important, how do you design your site for max impact? Your website’s layout, design and branding elements will attract attendees and sponsors, and keep them there. 

Layout

Start mapping out your site using wireframes. Wireframes create the basic structure of your website, letting you know how many pages of content you’ll have to create and how they link back to one another. Use wireframes to determine your hierarchy of content, starting with your event’s top-line information as navigation tabs (for example, your classic ABOUT, CONTACT, ATTEND sections). From there, you can break down your site into more specific pages addressing event location, dates, registration forms, session schedules and the like.

As for the physical layout of each page, choose a flow of information that makes the important stuff intuitive to find. Your attendees want their questions answered fast, so a page layout that takes more than a few seconds to skim is a no-go. 

Design

Layout and design go hand-in-hand. Because you want pages that are skimmable and accessible, avoid designing pages with large chunks of text or busy images. Make registration links or RSVP buttons clear and consistent – you don’t want to miss out on a ticket sale due to confusing design.

Responsivity is another important design component of a great event website. You want to make sure your site can adapt to whatever device it’s accessed from, be it desktop, tablet or smartphone. It’s all about ease; responsive design means your attendees can connect with your event wherever, however.

Branding

Your brand should be top of mind for website visitors. Consistent branding, from color palette and font choice to logo placement and event logistics, will keep your brand on the brain. Use layout and design elements to enhance attendee awareness of your brand.

Your website’s content can speak to your brand, too. What “voice” do you want your brand or event to have? How are you relating to your audience? A distinct point of view, maybe showcased in a content library, will stand out among event sites that simply list time, date and venue.

What to Include on Your Event Website

You have the layout, design and branding elements planned out – time to populate your website with content and easily accessible event info. Here are a few key features to include when designing your website for maximum effectiveness:

• Top-line event details. This is a no-brainer: event name, date, time, location and registration information. 
• Call-to-action buttons. If your goal is to get attendees to register for your event, strategically-placed CTA buttons with text like “REGISTER NOW” or “SIGN UP” provide a quick and easy way to RSVP. 
• Social media sharing capabilities. Prompt website visitors to share your site with Facebook, Instagram and Twitter sharing options embedded on each page.
• Optimized images and videos. Keep image/video formats and sizes consistent to avoid media loading issues.
• Organic SEO. Avoid the temptation to pack your pages with forced keywords and long titles. Strategically place your keywords, instead, to keep your site credible and professional.
• Content beyond your event. Building out a content library extends the life cycle of your event and keeps your website useful and referenceable for months to come. In turn, you can foster an event community to boost brand engagement.

The Bottom Line: Do’s & Don’ts of Creating an Event Website

You need a great event website to attract attendees and sponsors, and to conveniently run your event from one place. Your site should grab viewers’ attention with accessible content and smooth, responsive design. And every good event website should include the important details, call-to-actions and the ability to share high-quality content across social media platforms.

Here are the top do’s and don’ts to keep in mind when creating your website.

Do

• Make all event information easy to access, and your event easy to register for.
• Make your website mobile responsive.
• Keep your brand top-of-mind through design choices throughout your site.
• Use event tech with website features like PheedLoop to run your event from one platform.

Don’t

• Redirect visitors to a separate website for event registration or ticket sales.
• Overload your pages with dense text or images.
• Include irrelevant or unprofessional content in an attempt to boost SEO.
• Abandon your website after the event is over.

PheedLoop Makes it Easy!

No matter the size, scope or format of your event, PheedLoop’s event website makes it easy to create an accessible, customizable site. PheedLoop provides one source for your website, mobile app, event schedule and user profiles so you have a centralized event management hub. No searching through inboxes or drives, and no need to update information in more than one place.

From design to internal functionality, PheedLoop’s event website capabilities let you take full control of your event’s online presence. Check out these features:

• Embeddable registration forms, schedules, speakers and sponsors
• Customizable templates – add CSS and JavaScript scripts, get access to analytics
• Instantly-syncing information across all platforms whenever you need to update your site

Check out a PheedLoop demo here, and see how easy building your next event website can be.