How to create an event management website? (Full Guide)
Here’s an easy and detailed guide for creating an event management website.
Event management websites can be of two types: one that hosts and organizes events and the other that sell tickets for the events held by other organizers.
It can be used to host or sell tickets for events like Conferences, Festivals, Parties, Conventions, Expos, Galas, Games, and more.
Creating an event management website requires a set of specific features and functionalities. For example, a seamless events calendar, a ticket booking system, a payment gateway, and a few other features.
This guide is extremely detailed and addresses all the challenges that any beginner designer might face.
How to create an event website?
This guide covers everything from basic to professional functionalities that you might require to create an event website.
But before we go ahead, let’s take a look at a few digital tools that will be needed to create an event website.
Digital tools required to create an event management website
To start building your event management sites, you’ll require the following digital tools:
Hosting and domain name: Hosting is the place where your website lives, and a domain name is the name of your website. For example, eventprime.net is the domain of this website.
WordPress: WordPress.org is the best CMS you can use to build your event management sites. Compared to wordpress.com, wordpress.org is more flexible and offers an array of free WordPress event management plugins and free WordPress event themes.
WordPress event theme: A WordPress theme is used to beautify and enhance the design and feel of the website. WordPress.org offers a wide variety of free wordpress themes for event websites.
Go to wordpress.org and then click on ‘Themes’, from the search box search for event themes and explore all the themes.
WordPress event management plugin: A plugin is like salt to the website. Without it, the website is incomplete. It helps in adding powerful features, unique functionalities, and advanced characteristics to the website.
Steps to create an event management website
Step1: Buy a hosting and domain name. Some of the recommended hosting and domain solutions for event management websites are SiteGround, BlueHost, and Inmotion.
Step2: Once you have your domain name and hosting in place, add WordPress to it. Follow this guide to install WordPress and set up hosting.
Follow this tutorial to set up basic things when logging in for the first time.
Next,
Step3: Login to your WordPress website and open the Dashboard.
Step4: Scroll down and go to Appearance > Themes in the left menu bar.
Step3: Click on ‘Add Themes’ to add a new theme.
Step4: To upload your theme file, you can click on ‘Upload theme’ and upload the theme file. You can search for the theme as well in the ‘Search bar.’
Step5: Once you upload the theme, you can install and activate it. Else if you are searching for the theme in the backend, you can click on ‘Install’ to install and activate it.
Customize the Theme
Here we are using the basic theme that comes pre-installed in WordPress called ‘Twenty Twenty-One”
The steps stand true for any WordPress theme with a few changes and variations here and there, comment below and let us know if you need any help with the specific theme that you are using.
Step1: Go ahead and click on ‘Customize’ to set up the front end of your website.
Step2: Using the live editor, add the name of the site, logo, and adjust the menus.
Step3: Click on the pencil icon to edit the top menu of your website.
Step4: Next, click on the ‘Edit Menu’ option.
Step5: Here you can edit the menu items or add/ remove more menu items.
Step6: In addition to that, you can add Logo, Site Name, and Tagline from Site Identity option.
Step7: Next you have Color & Dark Mode which can be used to set the color and tone of the site. Then you have Background Image to add an image to the background and Menus.
Step8: Further, you have Widgets settings, Homepage settings, Excerpt setting, WooCommerce setting, and Additional CSS settings which you can customize according to your likes.
The steps above cover all the basic settings and enhancements needed.
For more specific settings or customizations follow this detailed guide.
Next, let’s set up the Events Plugin.
Events Plugin Setup
Step1: Once you are done setting up the pages of your website, now you can add an Events Plugin to enhance the functionalities of your website.
Step2: Follow this link or click the button below to download the EventPrime plugin for free.
The plugin will help you add an events calendar, create and manage events, set up a booking system, and accept payments on your website.
Step3: Once you have the added the plugin, go to the WordPress backend and click on ‘Plugins’ below ‘Appearance’ on the left menu bar.
Step4: Follow the same path as you did for installing a theme, i.e., Add New > Upload Plugin > Activate. OR Add New > Search Plugin > Install > Activate.
Creating the First Event
Step1: Open your WordPress Dashboard.
Step2: Click on ‘EventPrime’ on your left menu.
Step3: Just below the ‘Event Manager,’ you will find ‘Add New.’ Click on it.
Step4: A new window will pop up, where you need to add details of the event.
Step5: Add Event Title, Dates, Event Site Types, etc.
Step6: The performer list shows the name of the performer. To create a performers list, go to the ‘Performer’ option available on your EventPrime menu.
Step7: Click on ‘Add New’ to add performers.
Once you have added the performers, you can go back to the event you were creating.
Step8: Now, select the status of the event: Active, Unpublished, or Draft.
Next, save the event and it will be published on the frontend if it is Active.
Further, you can set up a payment method, add event sites, add an attendee list, add live seating, and more using this event plugin. Once you are done with setting up events, copy this shortcode [em_events] and paste it anywhere on your event website where you want to show the events calendar. Explore the list of shortcodes that you can use on the website. Here is how the users can book the events from the front end.
How users can book an event from the front end?
Step1: By going to the event calendar.
Step2: Users can use the filters option or can scroll down to a particular date to find the event they are interested in.
Step3: Hovering the cursor over the event will give an option to book the event, click on ‘Book Now.’
Step4: Next, users can select the seats they want to book.
To enable the live seating chart option, simply follow this guide.
Step5: Fill in attendee details and proceed.
Step6: As mentioned above, users will get an option to apply a coupon code and proceed with the payment.
For creating and adding coupon code options, read here.
Step7: The user will be redirected to the payment gateway page. Once the payment process is completed, they will receive the following notification.
Follow these guides for adding and setting up Stripe and PayPal payment options on your website.
Step8: The details of the booking can be checked by clicking on the ‘View Details’ button.
Creating and adding events on any website is very easy with This event plugin is useful for creating and adding any type of events on your website.
EventPrime: A Complete Solution for the Event Management Website
EventPrime is an event calendar plugin that allows you to create, edit, and manage events on your website with ease. The plugin is loaded with more than 90+ functionalities and important event management tools.
It also comes with multiple integrations to payment systems such as PayPal, Stripe, and also Offline Payment option. Using this plugin you can add features such as live seating charts, coupon codes, automatic discounts, recurring events, guest booking, event analytics, and more.
All the features of EventPrime can be explored here.
Extensions That Help in Enhancing the Features of an Event Management Website
EventPrime is a feature-rich plugin that offers various extensions to add & improve more capabilities on the website. Here are some of the event management tools i.e. extensions that can help you create an event website or other websites that have events options.
Member Area or User Profile
The very basic feature required in an event website is to segregate users into attendees and organizers. For which you will require the users to register on the website with a user role.
Example of an events group
EventPrime can be easily integrated with ProfileGrid Memberships to add user-profiles and group functionalities to the website. This integration allows your users to register with a unique user profile and password.
Example of a user profile in a group
This combination will allow creating a user-based community with ProfileGrid and publish User Group specific events with EventPrime. Moreover, it will also enable publishing Events exclusively for a certain group of community members.
Event Dashboard
Event Dashboard is an event calendar on your WordPress backend that allows you to create and manage events on your website. This WP calendar plugin provides a seamless calendar not only for you but for your users too.
Example of Event Dashboard
You can add, edit, and delete events in the backend with this calendar tool.
Frontend Example of Events Calendar for Users
The plugin also comes with a shortcode that can be placed on any page of the website to display an event calendar.
Payment Setup and Booking Management
It is necessary for any event management website to set up an event booking system and payment gateway for the users. EventPrime offers a complete booking system experience by integrating PayPal and other popular payment systems. However, you will require an SSL certificate to host safe transactions.
Event Booking System with PayPal Integration
It allows the users to book tickets for events and make payments seamlessly. Furthermore, there are guest booking options. Additionally, you can easily manage the bookings and payments using the EventPrime menu bar in the backend.
Various Types of Forms
Another important functionality that your event website will require is ‘forms’. You’ll need to publish various types of forms for your users and organizers—for example, payment forms, registration forms, membership forms, or other types of forms.
As a solution to this, EventPrime provides integration with RegistrationMagic.
RegistrationMagic is a leading WordPress user registration form plugin for WordPress websites. You can use this integration to create various types of forms with custom fields.
Example of Registration Form
Discount and Coupon Codes
There are two options available in EventPrime for adding discounts and coupon functionality: Automatic Discount Extension, and Coupon Codes extension.
The Automatic Discount extension allows you to offer a discount based on admin rules. Admin can create an endless number of rules. For example, the admin can set a date and time-based rule such as an attendee will get a 30% discount on all bookings done between particular dates.
For example,
Automatic Discounts
The second extension is Coupon Codes. You can create multiple coupon codes which users can apply to their bookings to avail the discount.
Example of Coupon Code
Event analytics
Event Analytics is one of the most important parts of event management tools.
Analyzing events becomes a very hectic task for event management websites. And most of the time, you might end up doing it manually, which is time taking, frustrating, and, tedious. But with EventPrime, you can analyze your events without any hassle!
Example of an Event Analytics Chart
The Event analytics allow you to stay updated on all the bookings and revenues. It stores data and illustrates it as a graph that exhibits how well the events are performing.
Additional resources
Now that you have added your theme, plugin and have also created your first event, here are some of the advanced resources that you may require to take your event management website a notch up!
- EventPrime Starter Guide
- Increase Productivity of events using best WordPress Events Plugin
- How to Manage Attendees for WordPress Events
- How to Add Performers to WordPress Events
- 10 Details To Always Include on Your Events Website
- How to Showcase Event Location Details of Your Event Sites
- Create and Earn from your Own Event Marketplace on WordPress in 2021
Closing Note
We have tried to include every piece of information that might be required to build an amazing event management website on WordPress. Starting from frequently asked questions to step-by-step guides and additional resources.
Feel free to comment below and ask any questions to our WordPress experts.