An event or conference website needs a hero that states what, when, where and for whom, an easy-to-scan schedule, pages for confirmed speakers, simple ticketing with prices and refund terms visible, and practical venue and travel information. It also has a short, intense life: it starts as an announcement with a date and a place, grows into a full program, becomes a practical guide in the week of the event and ends as an archive. Each stage has a different visitor with a different question, and the site needs to change with them.
This guide covers sites for conferences, meetups, festivals, workshops, trade events and community gatherings, built on WordPress with a page builder. It focuses on what to publish, how to structure it, and how to keep it accurate as plans change.
Key takeaways
- The hero must state what, when, where and for whom. Everything else follows.
- The schedule is the most used page. Make it easy to scan by day, time, room and track, and easy to update.
- Speaker pages need real, confirmed people with their permission and approved bios and photos.
- Ticketing should be simple, with prices, inclusions and refund terms visible before checkout.
- Practical information about venue, travel, accessibility and conduct reduces support emails and helps people attend.
Recommended page structure
For a single event with an annual edition, a typical structure:
- Home
- Schedule or program
- Speakers (overview and one page per speaker)
- Tickets
- Venue and travel
- Accessibility
- Code of conduct
- Sponsors and partners
- Call for speakers, while it is open
- FAQ
- About the organizers
- Contact
- Past editions archive
- Legal pages: ticket terms, privacy policy
Homepage sections, in order:
- Header with event name, date and a “Get tickets” button
- Hero: event name, dates, city or “online”, one sentence on who it is for
- Key facts: format, number of days, tracks or themes, language
- Featured speakers: a selection with photos and names
- Program highlights or a link to the full schedule
- Tickets summary: ticket types and prices, with a buy button
- Venue: name, address, map link and a short travel note
- Sponsors and partners, if any
- Newsletter signup for updates
- FAQ preview
- Footer with code of conduct, accessibility, contact and terms
| Page or section | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Hero and key facts | Tells visitors in seconds whether the event is relevant and when it is |
| Schedule | Lets attendees plan their day and decide whether to come |
| Speakers | Shows who will be there and what they will talk about |
| Tickets | States prices, inclusions and terms, and handles purchase |
| Venue and travel | Gets people to the right door on time |
| Accessibility | Lets people with access needs plan their visit with confidence |
| Code of conduct | Sets expectations and explains how to report problems |
| Archive | Keeps past talks and recordings useful after the event |
The site across three stages
Before the program is ready
Early on, you may only have a date, a city and a theme. Publish a simple page with those facts, a short description of who the event is for, a signup form for updates and, if relevant, an open call for speakers or sponsors. Clearly label what is still to come and roughly when.
When the program is live
This is the busiest stage. The schedule, speakers and tickets pages carry most of the traffic. Keep a short “latest updates” area on the homepage for changes such as new speakers, sold-out ticket types or a room change.
During and after the event
In the week of the event, practical information moves to the top: doors open time, registration desk location, Wi-Fi details for attendees, live stream links if any, and an emergency contact. After the event, turn the site into an archive: recordings, slides that speakers agreed to share, photos, and a note about the next edition. Keep the past edition at its own address so links shared during the event keep working.
Schedule design
A schedule needs to work on a phone in a crowded hallway. Practical rules:
- Group by day, with clear tabs or headings for each.
- Show time, title, speaker, room and track for every session. Include the time zone for online and hybrid events.
- Use a list view on mobile. Wide grids with many rooms become unreadable on small screens.
- Link each session to its details and each speaker to their page.
- Mark changes visibly: “moved to Room B”, “cancelled”. Do not silently edit.
- Keep it in one place. Use a single data source, such as an events plugin or a structured custom post type, so the schedule, speaker pages and homepage highlights stay in sync.
- Offer a downloadable or calendar version if attendees will want it offline.
Speaker pages
Each speaker page should include:
- Name, role and organization as the speaker wants them shown
- An approved photo
- A short bio, written or approved by the speaker
- Their session title, time and room, linked to the schedule
- Links the speaker has chosen to share
Only list speakers who have confirmed, and only use the photo and bio they have approved. If a speaker drops out, update the page promptly rather than leaving their name on the homepage.
Tickets
Ticket pages should make the decision easy and the terms clear:
- List each ticket type with price, what is included (sessions, meals, workshops, recordings) and any eligibility, such as student tickets.
- Show taxes and fees the way your audience expects, and before checkout where possible.
- State refund and transfer rules next to the buy button, with a link to full terms.
- Show availability honestly. “Sold out” when it is, and no invented “only 5 left” messages.
- Group discounts and invoices: say whether you offer them and how to ask.
If you use an external ticketing service, match its page to your site’s style where you can, and make sure the return link brings buyers back to useful information such as the venue page.
Our services and pricing pages guide covers how to lay out several options in a comparison table, which suits multi-tier tickets.
Content to prepare before building
- Event basics: name, dates, city and venue, format (in person, online, hybrid), language.
- A one-paragraph description of what the event is and who it is for.
- Confirmed speakers with approved bios and photos.
- The program, even in draft, with sessions, times and rooms.
- Ticket types, prices, inclusions and terms.
- Venue details: address, entrances, step-free routes, toilets, quiet spaces, cloakroom, food options.
- Travel notes: nearest stations, parking, airport connections, and suggestions for nearby accommodation if relevant (without implying partnerships you do not have).
- Code of conduct with a reporting route that is staffed during the event.
- Accessibility information: what is available, such as captioning, seating, hearing loops, and a contact for requests.
- Sponsor logos and links, with permission and correct versions.
- Privacy policy covering ticket data, mailing lists and any photography at the event.
Images and colors
Events often get a visual identity of their own: a name, a color scheme and a graphic style that changes each year. Make sure it works on a website:
- Choose one strong main color and a neutral base. Use the main color for buttons, the date and highlights. Keep body text dark on light for readability.
- Check contrast of any gradient or bright background behind text. See choosing a color palette.
- Use photos from previous editions if you have them, with attendee consent where required by your photo policy. For a first edition, photos of the venue or city are more honest than stock crowds.
- Speaker photos should look consistent: same shape, same crop, similar size. Ask speakers for a photo with space around the face so it can be cropped neatly.
- Sponsor logos need a consistent box size and spacing so no logo dominates unintentionally.
Our guide to preparing website images covers sizes and compression for speaker grids and galleries.
Common mistakes
- The date or city missing from the hero, or only shown in a graphic that search engines and screen readers cannot read.
- A schedule as a large image or PDF that cannot be read on a phone or updated quickly.
- Unconfirmed speakers listed to make the lineup look bigger.
- Hidden ticket terms, discovered only after purchase.
- Last year’s information mixed with this year’s, with no clear labeling.
- No accessibility page, forcing people to email for basic details.
- Deleting the site after the event, breaking every link shared in slides and social posts.
- Time zones missing for online sessions.
Single-page event sites
Small events, such as a one-day workshop or meetup, may only need one page. It should still include the facts: what, when, where, who it is for, program, speakers, tickets, venue, accessibility and conduct. Our landing page anatomy guide shows how to order sections on a single long page, and our header, navigation and footer guide covers in-page navigation for long pages.
FAQ
Should each year’s event have a new website?
Usually one site with a section per edition works best. The current edition sits at the main address; past editions move to their own paths, such as /2025/, and stay online. This keeps links working and builds a useful archive.
When should the site go live?
As soon as the date and place are confirmed, even with very little else. An early page lets people save the date, sign up for updates and find you in search.
Do we need an app?
Most events do not. A fast, mobile-friendly schedule page does the job for many attendees. Consider an app only if you need features a website cannot provide. If you do build one, our guide to app landing page design covers the page that promotes it.
Bottom line
An event site should answer what, when, where and for whom at a glance, then grow with the event: program and speakers, clear tickets, practical venue and accessibility details, and an archive afterward. Keep the schedule in one source, mark every change clearly, and only publish speakers and details you have confirmed.