The event and trade fair industries has recently experienced serious problems caused by the pandemic. Its outbreak could not have been predicted, and entrepreneurs were not able to prepare for such state of things.

As a result, the organization of events in its traditional form had to give way to an alternative which was better adapted to the global situation.

While trying to adapt business models to the dynamically changing situation, a substantial part of entrepreneurs had decided to accelerate the process of digitalization.

When observing the solutions used to achieve the goal, we can distinguish the best UX practices for both representatives of event industry and fair organizers.

Abstract
 

• Web pages from the event and fair industry should be tailored to the target group and focus on the needs of participants, exhibitors, and event organizers, who are often tenants of the exhibition space.
• The website must present information that is crucial from the perspective of the participants, not only about the event itself, but also about other issues, such as hotels or travel.
• One of the most important sections on the pages of the event industry and trade fair organizers are the upcoming events.
• The key CTA (directing to the purchase of a ticket) should be presented on every part of the page, regardless of whether on desktop or mobile devices.
• The content on the website should be planned in such a way that the user will be able to find the most essential information quickly and efficiently.

Target groups and their needs

Keep in mind your Clients and analyse your target groups. The organization of trade fairs differs from events such as exhibitions or concerts in which the main goal is to attract the audience.

The trade fairs focus not only on visitors but also on exhibitors who are to show their products or services. Both of these groups are necessary to organize a successful event.

If a fair lacks valuable exhibitors, it also lacks visitors, and vice versa. One group influences the other.

What is also important, fair organizers who are not owners of a place in which an event occurs should be directed an offer by those companies who provide an exhibition space.

As you can see, all of them have unique needs and goals. It is worth remembering this and before starting design or redesign a website, develop business model of a prospective customer for these groups of users.
 

Source: https://www.targikielce.pl/.

 

Upcoming events – highlight the most valuable information

The website user path can take various forms. It starts from the first user's contact with the page, the site, which may be, for example, a subpage of a specific event or its main page, through subpages, to the main one.

Regardless of the path, it is worth making sure that one of the most important sections for event and trade fair industry - the upcoming events, is clearly visible for all the users. In this section, they should be able to find the key information. So, there are things to focus on while designing the upcoming events section:

• Display it on a home page, above the website line break.

Source: https://www.mtp.pl/pl/.

• Provide a possibility to check the list of events from anywhere on the page.

Source: https://www.excel.london/

 

What, when, and where - the information of greatest interests among users

How to provide a user with a clear overview on what a given event is about? Answer three questions which are considered as initial in the process of information gathering:

• What? –what an event is about. Event name should be formulated as precisely as possible. It can also be useful to add a topic range or a program. The users are to take an interest in the subject. If they do not, they will not make efforts to learn more about an event, not to mention participating in it.
   
• When? – when is the event to take place? Inform about the date and duration. If there is such a possibility, show a detailed plan. As a result, users can check whether it corresponds to their interests. Even if a given date is not fully convenient, they may adapt due to an interesting topic.
   
• Where? – where is the event to take place. This is particularly important for sites that manage events in various locations.

Source: https://www.eventfinda.com.au/

 

Show the status of an event

While presenting events that currently happen, inform users about this fact, e.g., through the label "Ongoing":

Source: https://www.targikielce.pl/.

If the event is going to start within a couple of hours, it is worth indicating it by adding a label “Today” instead of a date. As a result, the user will not have to think about what today’s date is and compare it with the date of an event.

Source: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/

 

Events from a given category or industry

The topic of an event is the most important factor for users. If such people cannot participate in it, they may be looking for alternatives.

Moreover, other participants may be looking for events with a similar thematic category. Do not make them review the list to look for events in which they are interested.

If the number of event categories is not large, it is possible to display them directly above the list of categories in one line:

Source: https://www.excel.london/

If there are more similar events, present them in the form of a drop-down list:

Source: https://www.targikielce.pl/.

Focus on the horizontal flow. The event page should include other events of the same organizer or events from the same thematic category. The users will surely appreciate that.

Source: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/
 

Guide users’ attention with appropriately designed content

As we live in the era of the Internet, we are flooded with information. There is so much of them that it remains impossible to process all of the received messages. That makes people selecting them to find those the desired ones.

While visiting a website, users scan it through for interesting information and catching keywords. With a webpage of an event, it is just as.

It is worth taking care of a content to be arranged in such a way that the users are able to quickly find the desired information. Here are some rules to keep in mind:

• Date and location information should be highlighted. Remember about adding icons, which will attract attention, and divide the date, time, street, or city into separate lines to increase transparency. 

Source: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/

• Show event plan by dividing all its parts into separate items. Inform about the duration and briefly describe it. If it lasts several days, show the program for specific days.
  
  Even if there is not a dedicated functionality for a transparent presentation of the program, use a table that will be much more transparent than the plain text.

Source: https://taropak.pl/pl/.

• Provide the most valuable information about the event. As a result of that, users will be able to quickly get basic information about it.
  
  After reading a summary, the visitor will be able to decide whether they are interested or look for another event.
   
• Provide a user with access to the CTA from anywhere on the site. Whether it is a desktop or mobile device, your visitors should have quick access to the link redirecting them to purchase a ticket. It can be placed on the right side, scrolled together with the website, or on the top of the page.

Source: https://www.skiddle.com/.

 

An interesting topic is not everything. Help users to get there, find a place to stay, and advise on restaurant

When participating in an event, it is necessary to think about how to get there, where to eat, and if the event takes place far from home, also about accommodation. Those are needs that must be met.

While being helpful in dealing with organizational issues, we can provide them with a unique experience that will make them more willing to return in the future. This is particularly important if the event is cyclical and takes place, for example, every year.

So, what should you remember when organizing events? 

• Indicate event location. Using popular plugins, e.g., Google Maps makes it easy for user to navigate to the destination.

Source: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/

• Tell the participants how to get to the event. They can travel by car, plane, or train. Show them their options concerning the most popular modes of transport.
  
  Of course, most of this information can be found on the Internet, but by posting it on one collective subpage, you save users’ time.

Source: https://www.mtp.pl/pl/.

• Help in finding accommodation or provide information about the hotel base. At a time of a huge event, the hotels in nearby can be fully booked. This situation may cause difficulties in finding accommodation.
  
  Do not leave a user alone with a problem. Provide information about the hotel base or even help find a place to stay.

Source: https://www.targikielce.pl/.

• Recommend a restaurant. If in the building there is a restaurant, let people know where exactly. Some users may want to eat out, and it is also worth showing them recommended restaurants.

Source: https://www.expokrakow.com/pl/.

 

Summary

Using good UX practices creates a website that meets the needs of users, and thus enable them to achieve their objectives more effectively. As a result, they are more likely to attend your event.

When designing a website or an application for the event industry, it is worth remembering about the users' path. Whether we organize specialized, large events for a wide range of people, or we focus on online ones, there appears a need to provide users with the possibility to quickly reach the desired information.

The visibility of the date and time of an event, its place and topic are especially important. However, try to focus on a need to reach the destination.

Keep in mind that the list of events is what users are most interested in, so make sure it is properly displayed. At the same time, remember to provide the opportunity to find similar ones that may potentially be interesting for a user.