Why an Interview,,,

Over the years we have been able to meet and talk with some very interesting people. They have shared with us their knowledge and have provided us with a great deal of insight as to how and why festivals and events work and why they are so important to our communities and to the Province of Ontario. With this in mind, we decided that we wanted you to meet and hear from some of the wonderful people who work so hard to provide us all with such wonderful Ontario Festivals and Events! We are pleased and proud to present "THE INSIDE SCOOP"!

Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Festival Websites… Keep Them Simple But Factual…

When Gary and I choose the events we want to visit, it’s normally as a result of the event’s website. I believe a lot of potential event visitors do the same thing. It is an easy and fast way to see what an event is all about, and when it is going to take place. So, it amazes me when a festival either doesn’t have a website or has one that is so vague that it is useless as an information tool.
As I have mentioned in previous blogs, being too cute or over exaggerating, can be just as bad. The old KISS principle – “Keep it simple, stupid” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KISS_principle ) should be applied here. Having a simple but factual festival website, in my opinion, is best! The following is my list of “What festival websites should include”:
       Accurate description of your event
       Event dates
       Event times
       Event location
       Event costs (all of them)
       Parking information, including costs if any
       Directions to the event including a map for out of town visitors
       Disabled information
       Event program and guide, including activities, activity locations and activity times (A site map is always helpful)
       Contact list, who and how (I always like to see a way of e-mail contacting)
       Sponsors list
You or your web designer may have other ideas, and that’s okay, but these basics should always be included.
Other good things to include, but not as important as the above are:
       Event history
       Volunteer acknowledgement
       Special links (local restaurants, hotels, attractions and businesses)
Also, make your site printer friendly. I like to print out festival information and take it with me. I get more out of the festival that way.
Finally, it is important that your website is accessible to mobile phones. Search engines, especially Google are penalizing (not showing your website high on search page) websites who are not accessible. This doesn’t mean that you have to have an APP, but just that when your website is reduced to mobile size it is readable.

Your website is your voice! Make sure that your web designer understands this and adheres to your instructions!

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