A First-Year Event Has to Sell the Idea
The Salt Lake Book Festival was brand new. On October 17, 2026, it brought authors, panels, signings and a curated market to The Gateway in downtown Salt Lake City, with a kickoff called The Prologue at the city library the night before. But when the website launched, there were no past years, crowd photos or reviews to point to.
That's true for any new event, and it shapes the design. The site has to create the feeling of the event before anyone has been to it. For the festival, that meant a bold, colorful look built from the festival's own branding, with real portraits of authors and plain, warm language that told readers of every kind they belonged there.
Every Audience Needs Its Own Path
An event website rarely serves just attendees. The festival site had to reach:
- Readers looking for the line-up, schedule and tickets.
- Vendors wanting to apply for the market.
- Volunteers ready to help on the day.
- Partners and sponsors deciding whether to back the festival.
- Donors who wanted to support it.
We gave each group its own page and its own route from the homepage, with a Get Involved section that sends partners, vendors and volunteers straight to the right place. When an event site tries to talk to everyone on one page, nobody finds what they need.
Build for Rolling Announcements
Events rarely announce everything at once. Speakers, performers and sessions are confirmed over months, and each announcement is a reason for people to come back.
That's why the festival's authors are managed as their own content type in WordPress. Each author added gets a profile page with a bio, a portrait, the book they're bringing and a ticket link, and appears on the homepage carousel and the full line-up automatically. The team could announce authors as they were confirmed without designing a new page each time.
For any event with a growing list of speakers, sessions or vendors, building that structure in from the start saves hours of work and keeps the site current.
Make the Schedule the Star
For attendees, the schedule is the most important page. The festival's schedule lays the day out hour by hour, with a card for each event showing the authors, a short description, the stage and the type of event, plus a button to buy tickets or RSVP for free sessions.
A few principles for any event schedule:
- Organize by time, the way people plan their day.
- Show the location on every session, especially across several stages or venues.
- Make free and ticketed events easy to tell apart.
- Put the ticket or RSVP button on each session, not only at the top of the page.
- Make sure it reads well on a phone, because that's where people check it on the day.
Help People Find Their Way on the Day
A venue map turns a website into something people use during the event as well as before it. The festival's map shows The Gateway with its stages, programming areas, merch tents, food and vendors, color-coded with a legend, and lists every vendor by category below it.
Connect Tickets, Merch and Donations
Events usually rely on several revenue streams. The festival's session tickets link straight to each event's ticket page, while a WooCommerce shop sells festival merch alongside one-time and monthly donations. Whatever tools an event uses, the goal is the same: as few clicks as possible between interest and checkout.
Plan for the Year-Round Site
An annual event's website doesn't stop after the event. Once the first festival was over, the homepage turned to the next chapter, pointing readers to fall 2027, while the newsletter, shop and donations keep working in between. Plan your site so it can switch from "coming soon" to "thank you" to "see you next year" without a rebuild.
A Checklist for Utah Event Websites
- A homepage that makes the event's date, place and feeling clear in seconds.
- A separate path for attendees, vendors, volunteers, sponsors and donors.
- Speaker or performer profiles managed as content, so announcements are quick.
- A mobile-friendly schedule with tickets or RSVPs on every session.
- A venue map and practical details: parking, transit and accessibility.
- FAQs that answer what people ask before they buy.
- Newsletter sign-up, so interest turns into an audience for next year.
- A plan for the site between events.
Planning an Event Website in Utah?
We've built sites for Utah events and venues including the Salt Lake Book Festival, OAX in Huntsville and Epic Productions Group in Lehi. If you're planning a festival, conference or community event, our web design team works with organizers in Salt Lake City, Park City and across Utah. Start a conversation and tell us about your event.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should an event website include?
The date, location and what to expect; a schedule; speaker or performer details; tickets or registration; practical information like parking and accessibility; FAQs; and ways for vendors, volunteers and sponsors to get involved.
Can an event website sell tickets?
Yes. Sites can link to a ticketing platform for each session or sell tickets directly through an online store, depending on the event's needs.
When should an event website launch?
Months before the event, so there's time to build interest, announce speakers and recruit vendors, volunteers and sponsors. A first-year event especially needs that runway.
How do I keep an annual event's website useful between events?
Switch the homepage to recap the last event and point to the next one, keep the newsletter and any shop or donations running, and plan announcements for the year ahead.
