The homepage – the flagship of your conference website
1. Display important dates (deadlines) clearly
When does registration close? Until when can early-bird tickets be booked? Don't forget to provide key deadlines. Keep the overview up to date if dates change. Position the most important dates prominently on your conference website's homepage.
2. Present your conference with a video
A presentation video gives you a few minutes to make your conference appealing to interested parties. Introduce the topic, the organizers, and the conference venue. Use the power of visuals to bridge mental and physical distance, and build a sense of connection and identification with the event. Here is a selection.
IGC 2012
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mb6sWpcBS14
ICWRER 2013
3. Social media
If social media plays an important role in your concept, you should at least link to the profile pages you use (e.g., Facebook, Twitter). Also, integrate news feeds directly into your conference website.
4. Sponsors and partners
Reserve space on your website to showcase your sponsors and partners; they will certainly appreciate it. Be sure to link to their websites as well.
5. Offer all key registration and submission processes on your conference website
Whether it's attendee registration, abstract submission, or the review process, all these procedures should take place online, integrated directly into your conference website. This is convenient and seamless for attendees and saves you, as the organizer, significant effort in managing incoming registrations or abstracts. Conference management software like Converia allows you to create all registration processes and your conference website conveniently from a single source.
Registration and attendance
6. Introduce the conference venue (photos, conference rooms, technical equipment)
Introduce the conference venue. Your attendees will want to get an idea of where they will be traveling to. Describe the location of the venue—is it central or on the outskirts, and how is it accessible (by public transport, train, car, or plane)? Attendees will also be very interested in how to get from the conference to their accommodation. Mention accessibility and other technical details, such as the availability of Wi-Fi.
7. Information for international conference attendees
International attendees will need various pieces of information before they can attend your conference:
- Airports and accessibility
- Visa regulations and requirements for invitation letters
- Information from the Federal Foreign Office
- Information on climate and weather during the conference period
Also, don't forget to point out cultural and social characteristics of the conference location, such as local customs, taxi fares, tipping rules, types and availability of restaurants, currency, credit card acceptance, and public transport. If you cannot provide this information yourself, link to the websites of relevant providers, e.g., TripAdvisor, yelp, LonelyPlanet or, for French-speaking attendees, Guide Michelin.
8. Accommodation
The majority of your visitors will be coming from out of town. It is therefore essential to provide a list of hotels and their costs. Special rates for conference attendees are, of course, a great advantage. In popular tourist destinations, you should advise attendees to book their hotels well in advance. Optionally, you can embed Google Maps to highlight accommodation options alongside the conference venue. This allows users to plan their route directly via your conference website.
9. Explaining the registration process
Registering for a conference can be complex. Explain what the user can expect and provide a step-by-step guide.
- available payment methods
- prices
- available membership/student/etc. discounts
- discount phase periods (e.g., early bird)
10. Reviews and impressions of past conferences
Show those who are curious how your previous conferences went. Report on what it was like and what there was to experience. And show it! A video of the conference itself would be the icing on the cake. Tip: Save your photos on a social photo service like Flickr or Picasa. This also allows your attendees to contribute their own photos.
Your scientific program
11. Guidelines for abstracts and manuscripts
Establish and communicate rules and guidelines for submitted contributions. This saves both the submitters and you time and trouble. Ideally, offer corresponding sample and template documents for download. You can also provide further information on the exact process for submitting contributions.
12. Introducing the conference committee
Your committee will consist of well-known figures in your field. Use this as a marketing factor for your conference and promote it using the reputation of your organizers.
13. Conference program as a PDF and interactive overview on your website
It is worth offering the (final) conference program both as a PDF file and in an interactive planner on your conference website. Converia offers a component that makes it very easy to create an interactive session plan. Many of your conference attendees will print this out to mark their preferred sessions and add notes. In addition, the PDF is also perfect for smartphones or tablets. With the mobile Converia attendee app, customized specifically for your conference, you can provide all important information and keep attendees informed about any changes to the conference program on-site at any time.
Our final tip
14. Frequently Asked Questions
Never assume your conference website is finished! Until your conference actually takes place, you will receive numerous, often similar questions. Incorporate answers to common questions in the appropriate sections of your website. It is not recommended to put everything in one place (such as an "FAQ" section). While this may be the easiest way for you as an organizer, it makes it harder for attendees to find all relevant information on a specific topic at a glance. It is best to integrate answers to frequently asked questions directly into the relevant thematic sections of your website.
