BUILDING A WEBSITE IN BUSINESS (EVENT MANAGEMENT AND

PLANNING)

1. What is a Website and Why Do You Need it?

A website is a collection of publicly accessible, interlinked Web pages that
share a single domain name. Websites can be created and maintained by an
individual, group, business or organization to serve a variety of purposes.
When it seems that social media rule the Internet, you might ask yourself, “Do I
need a website?” The answer is yes, and I’m here to tell you why.
● Having a website makes you look professional and increases trust.
- Most people don’t trust a business without a good website. A clean,
modern page that is regularly updated and pops up in search engines is an
instant credibility boost. Potential customers will trust you more and have
all the information they need in one place. In a digital age, we expect
businesses to have a web presence.
- Anyone can easily create a Facebook page or an Instagram account with
fake data, your name/handle, and the profiles may look identical to yours.
So, a professional business website legitimizes your company in ways no
other social media channels would.

● A business website will bring you more customers and increase

conversions
- Well-optimized websites can pop up on the first page of Google search
attracting new customers that weren’t looking specifically for you but
were just researching a topic. There’s a much bigger chance of someone
‘stumbling upon’ your website than a social media profile. Also,
comparing you and any competing business or offer is easier when all the
parties involved have a pro website.
- If you invest in Google Ads or Facebook Ads, you can direct the traffic
straightway to your website. On the page, your leads will have all the
details to make an informed purchase, and a call-to-action to motivate
them. Pages with built-in popup forms and web push notifications
encourage website visitors to stay in touch and come back.
 ● Creating your own website is much easier and less expensive than
you expect.
- Creating websites has never been easier, and there’s no coding required.
If you choose a website builder, like the one from GetResponse, you can
choose a domain (which will be registered and configured for you), pick a
professionally designed, mobile-friendly, and device-optimized website
template that suits your needs, and head to a drag-and-drop editor. All
you need to have beforehand is a good copy.
● A website gives you full control over the medium.
- There are two sides to this reason. The first is your freedom of expression
on a website. You can’t customize your social media presence to the
same extent. All your assets have to be the same format as everybody
else’s. If you really want to stand out, a website is the answer.
● Websites are the center of all marketing efforts.
- A website can be the first place where potential customers interact with
you and learn about your business.
- It can also be where they land on last, to make a purchase, because they
were redirected from an email, a Facebook ad or an Instagram post.
- Maybe they want to receive your emails, and that’s why they visit your
site – to sign up.
- Someone driving by your facilities clicks the pin on Google Maps, which
directs them to your website with pricing or menu.

2a. What are the benefits of a website?

● Online Presence 24/7
Having a website means customers are always able to find you – anytime,
anywhere. Even outside of business hours, your website continues to find and
secure new customers. It offers the user convenience as they can access the
information they need in the comfort of their own home, with no added pressure
to buy.
● Information Exchange
A website provides a quick and easy way of communicating information
between buyers and sellers. You can list your opening hours, contact
information, show images of your location or products, and use contact forms to
facilitate enquiries from potential customers or feedback from existing ones
● Credibility
There is an expectation for any reputable company to have some kind of online
presence. Potential customers would likely be distrusting of any business that
didn't have a telephone number or a physical address, and the same can be said
for not having a website and email address.
● It Cuts Costs
As well as simply displaying information, you can also use your website to sell
goods & services directly to consumers, in some cases removing the need to use
“brick-and-mortar” stores which involve large operating costs (staff wages,
rental, utilities to name just a few)
● Market Expansion
As your site is accessible to anyone all over the world, the ability to break
through geographical barriers has never been easier. Anyone, from any country,
will be able to find your company and as such, is now a potential customer.
● Consumer Insights
Analytic tools allow you to identify who your typical customer is, how they
found you, what they like, and adapt your business to maximise purchases
through your site
Advertising
Tools like Google AdWords or advertising on Facebook give you the power to
reach customers with much more accuracy and reliability than with traditional
offline advertising methods. SEO and online advertising are a great way to help
build up awareness, if it’s done correctly traffic to your website can see an
increase
● Competitors Online
If you don’t have a website it is highly likely that your competitor will do, this
means that you are missing out on gaining new customers and can be in the
forefront of their minds. It is crucial that no opportunities are missed and are
gained by the competition.
● Customer Service Online
Websites provide an easier way to handle customer service. Offering answers to
regularly asked questions in a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section, you
can reduce customer service costs and save yourself time and money, as well as
providing much more information
● Growth Opportunity
Websites are great ways to in providing a place that potential investors can be
referred to. It shows what your company is about, what it has achieved and what
it can achieve in the future.

2b. What are the benefits of a website in event management and planning?
● It saves time. Spare yourself hours of data entry. Event management
software automatically records and tabulates data, giving you the time to
focus on things worthy of your attention and skill.
● It enables success after the event. With software tracking your attendees
and their RSVPs, you’ll never accidentally ask someone for feedback
only to find they didn’t actually come to the event.
● It lets you focus on the event while it’s happening. If you’ve ever
found yourself tethered to the check-in table all night, software is for you.
When processes like registration and nametag printing are automated,
event planners can escape check-in duty and oversee the whole function.
● It quantifies your success. If you need to convince your bosses or your
company to continue using part of the budget for events, data is your best
plan of attack. Many management software programs automatically track
success metrics like attendance numbers and revenue, which will come
across as far more impressive and legitimate than a post-event description
filled only with qualitative notes.
● It provides insight for next time. If your software’s data collection
showed, for example, that a high number of people who accepted their
invitations didn’t actually show up, you’ll know that’s an area to focus on
for upcoming events. Those insights, in turn, boost the success and
profitability of future projects.
●
3. How many types of websites and their purposes?
- Registration-only website: This type of website simply allows visitors to
register for the event. This website works best for events that don’t
 require additional information to convince the potential attendee to
attend.
- Marketing and registration websites: When you host an event that
requires a more thoughtful decision on the attendees’ part, you want to
create a website that both markets your event and offers a seamless
registration process. You provide information about the event to build
awareness and use language that converts the visitor into a registrant.
4. What are the main steps in creating a website?
● Do your research: Review surveys from past events and any data you’ve
collected from online surveys you’ve been conducting to find out what
information is most useful to the potential attendee who visits your site.
● Create a site map: As you design the website, put yourself in the
visitor’s shoes. You know everything about your event, but the person
coming to your website doesn’t. What’s the most important piece of
information they need to see? Put that front and center.
● Build the wireframe: A wireframe is like a storyboard for your website.
Event management technology helps you create the schematic for each
page of your website.
● Gather content: You need to have all your content in one place, typed,
proofread, and ready to insert in the wireframe. At this point, you should
have the event description. You’ll add information like speaker bios and
photos, session descriptions, and venue floor plans as that information
becomes available.
● Put it all together: After you’ve created a wireframe you’re pleased with
and gathered all the content, you put the two together. Event technology
guides you through the process of placing content in the proper fields of
the wireframe.
● At this point, you also choose the color palette and insert your event and
organization logos so the website reflects your brand.
● Test and reiterate: Before launching the website to the public, you want
to work out as many of the kinks as you can. Event management
technology lets you test your website before going live.
● Launching the site: Launching your event website can be an event itself.
As part of coordinated marketing efforts, send an email to your mailing
list with a link to the site and blast your social media accounts with links.