The importance of an event website (with examples)

Event websites render more than just a canvas on which you paint the important details of your event. While it is imperative to make them appealing, engaging, and easy to navigate, an event website offers far more value than just a pretty screen to look at.

With a proper design hosted on the right event management platform, event websites provide a great opportunity to serve up tons of benefits for both you and your attendees. And whether you’re planning an in-person, hybrid, or virtual event, the website remains equally important.

Here, we’ll break down the what, why, and how of effective event websites, and showcase some eye-catching examples that may help inspire your next event website build.

The what, why, and how of event websites

Before we dive in, it’s important to know exactly what we’re talking about. What is an event website? Why do you need one? And how can you create an effective event website that helps you achieve the goals outlined for your next event?

Let’s answer these questions:

What is an event website?

Your event website is, for all intents and purposes, the hub of the pre-event and sometimes even post-event experience for your attendees—save for a mobile event app, perhaps. Without an event website, it’s much more difficult for site visitors to find out important information about the particular session.

An event website is where potential attendees will go to:

• Find event-specific information. This includes important details such as the date and time of the event and its location.
• Register. This is the most important part of nearly every event website, whether you’re hosting in-person, hybrid, or virtually. Without an event registration page, it becomes almost impossible to track crucial attendee data, gauge the scope of your event, and prepare accordingly.
• Browse the event schedule and agenda. An event website provides details often the source of truth for all planned activities, which gives potential attendees insight into what they can expect if they choose to attend. Use engaging words to create a little FOMO and encourage attendance for your must-see event!—and hopefully, your website encourages them too!
• Learn more about your organization and the event. Your event website is the most appropriate place to host information about your organization, so make sure it tells your story in a captivating fashion.

Why do you need an event website?

Well-thought-out event websites serve up some sweet benefits. Aside from serving as a central hub for attendees to find information, register, and learn more about your company or organization, they can also help:

• Increase event attendance. 
• Boost engagement.
• Generate leads.
• Organize pertinent information all in one place. 
• Collect valuable data. 
• And more. 

Without an event website and registration page, potential attendees won’t be able to find you, attendance at your event may be low, and you’ll have no data to inform your decision-making to keep attendees engaged. An event website keeps working after your event concludes as a great hub for nurturing leads, networking, and redirecting traffic when everything’s said and done.

How do you create an effective event website?

Using an event management platform with embeddable registration page functionality makes enrollment a breeze. After creating a customized event registration form, it can be conveniently embedded directly on your own website. The best part? Data can still be collected, tracked, and reported to provide valuable insight into your event.

This data is super important when assessing the success of the event against its goals, as well as planning the next one to ensure it’s even better than the last.

Stunning event website examples

For all you visual people out there, we pulled a few examples of event websites that deliver on all fronts. But most importantly, the following examples put emphasis on registration—the aspect of your event website that’s going to get more people through your doors (physical or virtual!) on the event day.

Here they are:

Dreamforce

Dreamforce’s visually appealing event website landing page balances fun imagery with pertinent event information—and, the “Sign Up for Free” box clearly stands out, which may encourage more people to sign up. A FAQ section, clearly labeled at the top, directs prospective attendees to find answers to their questions in the same place where they go to register.

Unleash 22

Unleash went for a more simplistic event website design for their Unleash 22 conference. The benefits? Straightforward instructions on how to “get on the list” for the event, along with the date and time.

No-Code Conf 2021

No-Code Conf 2021 took full advantage of multiple formats for their conference that year. The event website clearly states both in-person and online event tickets are available to purchase, and the website offers multiple buttons to encourage registration. No-Code also included links for potential sponsors and speakers so that attendees can learn even more.

Using an event management platform to create your website

All of the planning that goes into hosting a successful event starts with an effective event website. And no matter the approach you take in your design, it’s important to display the most pertinent details front and center.

So remember:

• Make the event date, time, and location easily visible.
• Offer a user-friendly event website design with easy navigation and clearly labeled buttons.
• Make registration instructions clear, and forms easy to fill out.

With Webex Events, you can build fully branded registration for virtual, in-person, and hybrid events in minutes. With options such as flexible ticketing, you can offer multiple ticket types, prices, groups, discount codes, and more—all with instant payouts.

Choosing the right event management platform provides a holistic event experience, providing value that reaches far beyond just the registration page.

Ready to get started? Request a demo today.