How to Create an Event Website

What Is an Event Website?

An event website is just like it sounds, a website that is specifically designed to announce a specific event. An event website’s purpose is two-fold — to elicit interest and provide all the necessary information related to the event.

Events can vary, and so will their design. There are websites that have one page, divided into sections, with no additional pages. There are also websites that have a shortened homepage, with additional pages available in the menu. The choice of what design to use depends on the event.

How to Create an Event Website?

Don’t get rushed to start the development process. It is wiser to start with research so avoid any apps reinventing. Here are the key elements to consider as you frame your event website project:

Collect a list of websites or apps that are potential competitors.Analyze the features, costs and business needs they solve.
Explore the customers’ testimonials.Both positive and negative reviews are a good source for ideas to improve the existing apps or finding the spot for a new one.
Test the shortlisted event application.Check how the website works and what functions can be improved. So you define your future feature set.
Choose the platforms. Think about the platforms your event website will work. Consider also how you can scale the functionality to support business growth.
Define your budget. Narrow down the expenses on development, maintenance, and marketing for your event website.

What Are the Essential Features of Event Website?

The success of an event website is two-fold. It requires users and event-goers. Keep in mind, your website should connect these people and enhance their interaction.

Let’s review the feature list for users:

Registration and event management. Don’t forget about the basic options: preview, edit and delete. Think about adding the option of description with audio and video content.
Ticket management.Think about offering an option to create customized tickets or e-Tickets with QR codes. Despite the ticket type, the users will need a form to collect attendee details.
Event cancellationhelps to inform attendees about cancelation by sending an email.
Reporting and analyticshelp to track events, tickets, event-goers, and income. The users will appreciate the filters for sales channels, time frames, event type.
>Messaging and comments on events will drive attendee engagement.
Payments like PayPal, Stripe, Braintree can be embedded into the event website.
Refunds. Offer a policy that will clearly state the reasons applicable for a refund.
Verificationhas to work in two ways: check whether a user is a real person and verify an event-goer before proceeding to payment.
Risk managementis insurance from fraud and disloyal business owners. To save your headache later, develop a defensive mechanism beforehand. For instance, event-goers can report the event for the cancellation, fraud, copyright, and the like.

And here is the list of features for event-goers:

The registrationprocess should be smooth and easy. Better to include sign in via phone number, email and social network accounts.
Search and filters. Improve the event-goer flow with a quick search for the events by type, location, price, date. For the mobile app, this can be done with Google Search API for Android or the Lookup API for iOS.
Event feed depicts the list of events that comply with the attendee’s preferences, location and date.
Ticket management.The event-goers also need to see what tickets they’ve bought. That option enhances the cancellation and refund requests.
Book timerholds a ticket for an attendee until the purchase is finished.
The waitlist option notifies an event-goer about an available ticket for a tracked event.
Event trackingis a part of a personal account. Here an attendee follows the event to which the bought ticket. You can add more options so the other events could be tracked too.
Push notifications are a gentle reminder about the upcoming event or special offers.

Step 1: Select a hosting provider

Any time you launch a new website, you’ll need to find the right hosting provider and plan. Not all providers offer equally reliable services, and choosing one at random or based on the lowest price you find can backfire.

Ideally, the web host you choose will:

Provide you with a high level of performance
Include a strong support system, in case you run into any issues
Offer a broad range of plans

Since you’re going to use WordPress, it also makes sense to look for a host that offers WordPress-specific features. We’ve written extensively about how to pick the perfect WordPress host in the past, so you may want to check out that guide before moving on. In addition, don’t forget to purchase a domain name for your events site while you’re at it.

Step 2: Install WordPress at your host

Next, you need to set up your WordPress website. If you use a WordPress-friendly web host, it might install WordPress for you when you sign up for a plan. Alternately, you may get access to a simple one-click installation process.

However, in many cases you’ll need to install the WordPress software yourself. Don’t worry, though – it’s a pretty simple process. In the past, we’ve covered four methods for installing WordPress, which gives you a lot of options. Simply choose the best approach for your situation, and move on to the next step once you’ve logged into your brand-new site.

Step 3: Choose the perfect theme for your event registration website

WordPress themes determine your site’s look and layout, and they come in all shapes and sizes. There are themes designed for specific types of websites (such as real estate sites or), and multipurpose themes that you can use for basically anything. Choosing a WordPress theme can be daunting, since you have so many options.

However, what’s most important is that the theme you pick for your event registration website should:

Receive constant updates
Support mobile-friendly design, since most potential attendees will likely be browsing your events on their mobile devices
Have excellent ratings and reviews

You can also consider opting for a dedicated events theme, since these often include functionality that will come in handy. This isn’t necessary, however, since you can add all the features you’ll need via a plugin (more on this in the last step). What’s most important is to pick a theme with the right style, and lots of customization option so you can make your site truly unique.

Step 4: Install a WordPress event management plugin

While WordPress offers a lot of functionality out of the box, it doesn’t come with any event-specific features built in. Fortunately, you can fix that by installing the right plugin. Ideally, you’ll want to look for an event management plugin that enables you to set up calendars, handle sign-ups, and send notifications and reminders as needed.

There are plenty of options, but a good place to start is with The Events Calendar. This tool enables you to create and customize calendars, add as many events as you’d like, specify prices and venues, and more:

The base version of this plugin is free, and setting it up is simple. Therefore, it’s an excellent pick if you want to get your event registration website off the ground quickly.

If you’re looking for an alternative, we’re also big fans of WP Event Manager:

This plugin offers the same basic features as The Events Calendar, but provides you with additional options when it comes to managing RSVPs. What’s more, getting it set up and configured is a painless process.

Since both tools are free, we’d recommend testing them each out to get a feel for how they work. When you’ve settled on a plugin, you can get to work adding events to your new website!

Conclusion

These days, it doesn’t make sense to waste time managing reservations or event RSVPs by hand, when you can have a program do it for you instead. With WordPress, you can easily set up an event registration website where people can find all the information they need, and sign up at any time.