Not a very pleasant thought. However, it is also nothing to fear as an event organizer—provided you manage your website content with a Content Management System (CMS).
But what exactly are the advantages of a CMS, and how does it help everyone who works with it?
Easy content management
Sure, the event website is incredibly important. So important, in fact, that no attendee can avoid it when it comes to registering or submitting abstracts.
And it is constantly changing: new speakers have been announced, the final program is set, and there are always a few organizational updates.
Once set up, the CMS helps you publish everything easily. While you previously had to commission the company managing your website and wait for your changes to be implemented, you can now do it yourself at any time with a CMS. It’s not difficult. If you are comfortable with word processing programs, you will find your way around a CMS. Instead of having to brush up on your programming skills on the side, you can simply focus on what you want to communicate to your visitors.
The CMS module from Converia is designed to allow users to easily manage all content. Text is entered and formatted as desired via a visual editor. Therefore, no knowledge of HTML commands is required to insert design elements like headings and highlights. Converia also provides storage space to upload images and documents and subsequently embed them into articles.
Separation of design and content
If the design of the event website is changed, it does not affect the content. Conversely, changes to the content do not result in changes to the visual appearance. This is due to the CMS's unique ability to manage website content and layout separately. Regardless of how short or long your texts are, the design defined in the templates automatically adapts to them.
Multiple users, fewer problems
If multiple users are working on the site, access rights can be centrally defined for each one.
Everyone then only sees the areas of the system relevant to them, which allows everyone to go about their specific tasks in peace. For example, editors only access the content and, unlike the designer, cannot make changes to the layout.
Work independently
As a CMS user, you are not tied to any specific location when you want to update your event website. All you need is a browser. The operating system running on the device you are currently using does not matter. Special software is also not necessary. This is particularly helpful if you only notice the typo you made at the office earlier once you are back home.
Creative freedom
Instead of Converia's standard templates, you can also use your own templates. By swapping the template in the CMS module, it is possible to give the conference website a completely unique design. This is helpful, for example, if there are design guidelines for the event.
Even if the conference website already exists and Converia is only used for conference management functions like attendee registration and abstract submission, the appearance can be adapted to the website in the Converia CMS using appropriate templates. This ensures that users do not notice any difference in the design when moving between the information area and the conference features. Custom templates can also be practical for making the conference website responsive, allowing it to automatically adapt to different screen sizes and thus to users' mobile devices.
The following examples from our customers show the visually appealing results that the combination of a CMS module and custom templates can produce.
European Energy Venture Fair 2016
By using the CMS, Emerald Technology Ventures AG is able to manage the website content without restrictions. In addition to general details about the event, the site also features profiles of speakers and participating companies. Furthermore, a restricted area accessible only to registered attendees was implemented. The responsive web design ensures that the site adapts to a wide variety of screen sizes.
German Association for Waste Management, Water and Raw Materials (BDE)
With the goal of clearly displaying all BDE events on one page, we developed the corresponding section of the website. During the design process, it was particularly important to consistently align the look with the BDE's branding. This is also evident when going through the registration process, which includes typical Converia elements while incorporating the BDE's colors and fonts.
Organizers
For the Swiss PCO Organizers, we implemented a solution that allows them to manage the websites of the events they support completely independently. With the help of the CMS, the Organizers team creates new events, sets up event websites, and maintains current content themselves.
