Best Practice
Is your website
event ready?
James Moffat, head of web at
LiveBuzz, explores how an event
website should be adapted in
the lead up to a show
T
“The most
overlooked stage
in the lifecycle of
an event website
is the event week
itself”
here is a lot of good advice out there about
what makes a great event website. From
engaging content and bold visuals to search
engine optimisation and device-friendly design.
However, less discussed is the lifecycle of an
event website and the changes it should go
through as your event goes from launch through
to the event week itself.
The lifecycle of most event websites can be
split into three stages.
The first stage is the launch. Whether your
event has been running for decades or is brand
new, there should always be a launch. This
is the perfect time to re-visit your brand and
messaging. Do your visuals need updating?
Has the vision for the show evolved since last
time? In this stage of the lifecycle the content
from the previous show can be re-purposed
to provide a resource base and to drive
expectation for the next show. Rather than
using ‘coming soon’ messages, the previous
year’s content gives the keen user content to
engage with and discover.
The second stage in the event website
lifecycle is the content announcements.
Whether it’s the exhibitors/speakers/
demonstrations/live areas/sessions or a mixture
of them all, this is a great time to freshen up the
website content. It’s also usually a great time to
open up registration/ticket sales. The content is
new and engaging and your audience are most
likely to decide to attend in this stage.
The third and often most overlooked stage
in the lifecycle of an event website is the event
week itself. At this stage most people have
already made the decision to attend or not.
They will be looking to register, book a ticket,
plan their visit and firm up travel plans to get
to your event. The days leading up to the event
are a perfect time to update the focus of the
website to help your users achieve these goals.
A simple change such as bringing some travel
and venue details into a more prominent home
page position can go a long way to helping your
audience positively engage with the website
and get what they are looking for. Rather than
trying to force an engagement by making the
‘Register Now’ button bigger and bolder, at this
stage it should remain in a clear and simple
position and there should be many places
throughout the website where the user can
register.
During the event you have the opportunity
to be bolder with the website. People will be
traveling to your event so travel and venue
details are still key, but now you can shift the
focus to content in a big way. A video Live
Stream can provide instant engagement and
build anticipation for those not yet at the event
or viewing from home or work. For those at
the event, your conference/live content should
be easily accessible from the homepage. Also,
most of your audience will likely be viewing the
website on a mobile at this point so any last-
minute updates and changes should take this
into account.
Once the event is over, make sure the next
year’s dates and location are on the website,
put your feet up for a well-earned rest, then get
ready for the cycle to start all over again!
September — 49