One of the best ways to promote an event is to build a website that showcases the features and details of your event. For event website to be effective, however, they must be visually interesting, well organized and informative. There’s an art to event website design that you can learn if you’re willing to make the effort. Let’s look at some of the most important things to keep in mind when designing a website for your big event.
Points for an Event Website
More than anything else, your website has to generate excitement and sell the sizzle of your event. The following are some points to keep in mind to help you do this.
- Make sure important details about the event, such as time, date and location are listed and easy to see.
- If possible, make the name of the event identical to the domain name and URL for the site. This makes it easy for people to find your website when seeking information about the event.
- Make sure the layout is appealing and not too cluttered. You might create a separate page or a PDF document with detailed information. The home page should focus only on the essentials.
- Highlight the main attractions or selling points. If celebrities or people who are well known in your industry will be featured, make sure their names are highlighted on the home page.
- What makes the event special? If there’s a particular theme or unique characteristic, make sure you communicate this.
- Use images and video. Images are extremely important for event websites. When you want to get across how exciting this occasion is going to be, images are often more effective than words. Use high-quality photos of the venue and well-known presenters or performers. If this is a repeating event, you can show photos of previous events. Video clips are also powerful. If there’s going to be entertainment, show video clips of the leading performers. Ask participants to send you their best video footage.
Selling Tickets
One of the main functions of your website is to sell tickets. You must therefore. make it easy for visitors to do this.
- Have buttons to buy tickets on every page.
- If attendees can also buy tickets at the door, let them know. It’s best, however, to give people a discount for buying tickets online.
- Describe seating or ticketing options thoroughly. For example, if it’s a multi-day event, you may be selling passes for one day or for the whole event.
- If you’re making early bird discounts available, be sure to highlight this. You can put a counter on the site telling people how much time they have to get the discounted price.
Updating Your Event Website
Event website are not only good for informing people about events but also for keeping them updated. Events often have changes, such as when performers cancel and new ones are placed on the bill. There may be scheduling or venue changes. Make sure that your website reflects the latest news.
You might also use your website to build a mailing list. This allows you to email people about the latest happenings. You can also use this list to tell people about future events and other related promotions. You can have an opt-in form on your event website that lets people sign up to your list. This can help you sell more tickets. Many people won’t buy a ticket the first time they visit your site. If, however, you email them a few times they may return and purchase tickets.
Getting the Most Out of Your Website
When planning event website design, you should be thinking of ways to make your event as popular as possible. One of the advantages of a website is that it’s easy for visitors to share the information. This works best when you use your website in conjunction with social media such as Twitter and Facebook to promote your event. Your social media strategy should be integrated with your event website.
Make sure you link to the website frequently on social media. Your website should also have social media buttons, such as one that lets people like your Facebook page. You might also promote your website using videos, Instagram, SnapChat or other social media sites.
A well-designed website can be a powerful vehicle for promoting an event. In addition to social media, you can promote the URL on flyers, on print ads or on radio or TV ads. As you’re designing your site, try to look at it through the eyes of potential visitors. Ask yourself if the site does a good job at getting across the main attractions as well as the crucial information.
