How to make the best website for a conference or festival

The websites of conferences, festivals and other events of a recurring nature are living organisms. Few people need to be able to react flexibly to all the changes that organising events usually entails. What does the cycle of a regular event website look like? What should it be able to respond to, what shouldn't be missing, and how to build it so that the annual work is as easy as possible?

How does the conference cycle work? Prepare for all phases

Event organizers know well that they are in charge of creating something that is constantly changing under their hands. And it's good to be properly prepared for these constant changes. If you are standing at the very beginning, take your situation into account when choosing a web solution and its supplier. Emphasize this requirement to him, because if the tool you choose is not flexible enough, you will probably have a year full of unnecessary pain and unpleasant situations. But if you have a good foundation, you can get started without worry!

1. Before the event

What you are dealing with: Everything.

This is definitely the busiest planning period for any conference or festival. You have a lot of work ahead of you. From reaching out to partners, to finding the speakers and performers, to kicking off marketing campaigns to sell tickets. How do you keep up with it all? Break everything down into its individual phases.

Gradually uncover confirmed speakers. Split ticket sales by price over multiple dates. This will give you multiple opportunities to communicate a limited-time discounted offer during the sale. This can be just the right impuls for a spontaneous purchase. Of course, sponsors are also important. Reserve enough space for them on your website. Add new ones quickly and easily. Introducing the package will help potential supporters to get a feel for what kind of help you are looking for and in what form.

By the time you launch your marketing campaign, you should already have a system for registering or buying tickets figured out and implemented. Make sure you have a landing page where you drive visitors from the campaign. Create a simple landing page just for the needs of the campaign that doesn't distract with any unnecessary content and leads visitors straight to action.

2. During the action

What you're addressing: Fuckups.

Before you start, make sure all the information on the site is up-to-date and accurate at the last minute to avoid unnecessary complications. You will likely be needed on other fronts during the event and there won't be much time for any other things. Every now and then, however, a fuckup will unfortunately happen and you will have to respond to it. Change in the program? A problem with a sponsor? Moving the event to a different location? You should be able to communicate all of this on the site within minutes. Visitors will appreciate up-to-date information. Don't underestimate potential crisis communication either. It's better to be prepared for different scenarios and set rules for the whole team in time for these cases. Luck favours the prepared.

3. After the event

What you solve: How it was and how it will be.

This is usually a period of evaluation and balance. At this point, users usually come to the website to look at photos from the event or to find out the first information about the next year's event. They are sure to be pleased by the organizers' thanks for their participation. It is always good to build a community of contacts by using a simple email collection form. For example, you can offer users priority notification of ticket sales. However, you can also use the contacts for your general year-round communication.

And you're one round down, congratulations! But regular event organizers know that the work is never over, so you can soon resort to point number one again.