How to manage an event from your website
Are you someone who loves to lead workshops, retreats, and other gatherings? There are several ways to use a website as the central hub for promoting and managing small-group events. I’ve categorized these methods as Easy, Intermediate, and Advanced so you can choose the approach that feels right. I specialize in designing Squarespace websites, but many of the techniques apply to other website platforms too.
Recommended pre-reading:
The four phases of event management and how to choose your approach
Products for managing events at each phase
This article describes setting up event management using products I’m familiar with: Squarespace, Square, and Eventbrite. There are many other choices, but the concepts carry over into other product selections too.
Announcing the event
Your website allows you to announce, promote, and tell the story of your event, regardless of who is hosting the event and which product you’re using. Of course, remember to use other methods for promoting the event too, such as social media or your mailing list.
Easy
When you are the host
The simplest approach is to announce the event on your website. Write text and use images and button or text links to describe the event, either within sections on a page or using a full page devoted to the event. When an event is complete, remember to update your website. This method requires setting up separate mechanisms for registration, payments, and communicating.
When someone else is hosting
If your event is at a venue that will publicize the event and handle registrations, payments, and communications, your website can still publicize the event. You'll add text and use images that describe the event. Then include a button that links to the registration page on the host's website for visitors to complete the registration.
When you employ a third-party event management system
If you plan to use an external system for registration, such as Eventbrite or Square, you can announce the event on your website by adding text and images and include a link with a button that takes the visitor to the external system to complete the registration process.
Intermediate
Squarespace also offers an Events Collection page, similar to a Blog Collection page, that makes it easy to create individual events with a consistent design. You can automatically promote upcoming events and hide past events with this method. I use Summary blocks on Home pages to highlight important events based on date, location, tag, or category. This method also helps you keep things organized because event descriptions, like blog posts, are organized through the Events Collection page for you to find, reuse, or hide easily. This method requires setting up separate mechanisms for registration, payments, and communicating.
Advanced
Squarespace Commerce
You can also set up a Squarespace eCommerce "store" and present each event as a Squarespace product. Setting up event "products" allows you to set limits on inventory (number of seats) and prevent overbooking. You can use Summary blocks on your website pages to highlight one or more event "products" of a particular type. Each product must be set up as one event on a particular date and time, so it doesn't automatically disappear. To reuse the event, you'll need to edit the "product" description. technique, while a bit more complicated to set up, includes the ability to accept payments and manage registration and communications, all with one system.
Registering attendees
Easy
If you are hosting event, the least technical process is to ask people to call or email you to register. With this low-tech process, you maintain a list of names and email addresses in a spreadsheet or document on your own. You'll handle collecting payments and communications as separate activities.
Another option is a semi-manual process in which you set up a collection mechanism to collect names and email addresses. Do this by adding a uniquely named Squarespace contact form to your website for the purpose of event registration. You can elect to store the information in a Google Sheet you've created or just receive email alerts when a person fills out the form. Other phases of event management such as collecting payments or communicating attendees are separate tasks. You’ll remove the form when the event is complete.
Intermediate to Advanced
At the other end of the scale is a fully automated online process. Such a process usually involves paying a subscription or per-transaction fee to a company that manages the registration process and connects with your website for the transaction. Such companies usually have ways to collect payments, communicate with attendees, and generate reports about the status of registrations.
Event Registration with Squarespace products
One example of a fully automated process is Squarespace's built-in Acuity scheduling subscription service. You can collect payments for group appointments through a fee-based payment processor connected to Acuity, which is a Squarespace add-on subscription product.
You can also set up events as products in Squarespace Commerce, for which you collect payments through a fee-based payment processor and may also pay a transaction fee to Squarespace if you have a lower-tier website plan. The customer name and email address for the purchase serves as registration for the event and you can export those names from your Squarespace Contacts list to communicate with them after they purchase an event seat.
Event Registration with Third-party Companies
Eventbrite is an example of an external system that combines registration, collecting payments, and communicating. You pay Eventbrite for the service through transaction fees. For attendees to register from your website, you add text or image links on your website that go to the unique Eventbrite event URL. I've found that it can be a more budget-friendly choice than either Squarespace Scheduling or Squarespace Commerce if the event is low-cost or it's an event with limited capacity.
Square is a payment processor that has expanded its offerings to include paid group appointment scheduling as well as selling events as "products." Like Eventbrite, it combines registration, collecting payments, and communicating. You can create links on your website that go to a specific group event for attendees to register. Whether it will be more budget-friendly depends on the profit you expect to make from your event because Square is a fee-based payment processor and for events booking you must also subscribe to the Square Appointments Plus plan.
Collecting payments in person
Easy
For paid in-person events, the least technical method is to ask for cash or a check at the event. This works for events with set fees or events with free-will donation requests when you don't need advance payments.
If you need payment in advance, the old-fashioned written check may work for you if there is enough time for receiving the check by mail and ensuring that it clears before the event. You'll need to manually record the payment so you know who has paid in advance.
Intermediate to Advanced
For accepting card payments in person, you need a card reader device or an online account from a payment processor that can read the physical card or a card number typed in. One example of a device is a Square card reader that plugs in to your phone. You need internet access to be able to complete the transaction. See more examples of online payment processors below. Attendees can pay online and in person from their phones if you have a payment processor set up.
Collecting payments online
Intermediate to Advanced
It gets more complicated if you want people to pay online, whether it’s for an in-person event or an online-only event. To set up online payments, you will be dealing with third-party companies to perform the security verifications and send the proceeds to your bank account. Such companies take per-transaction fees for that money management and authorization activity.
Payment Processors with Squarespace Acuity Scheduling
If you sell event seats through appointments, you can set a fee for the event seat. Transaction-based fees apply for the payment processor and Squarespace may also assess fees if you have a lower-tier website plan.
Squarespace Payments with Squarespace Commerce
If you sell event seats as "products," Squarespace now offers its own payment processor, Squarespace Payments, for product sales. Or you may already have a fee-based payment processor like Stripe, which was the payment processor Squarespace required in the past.
External payment processors
Stripe, Square, Clover, and PayPal are all payment processors. Eventbrite also has its own payment processor. Setting up an account on third-party apps like Zelle, Venmo, or ApplePay is an option for small businesses who want to accept online payments and potential attendees have accounts on those apps.
Communicating with attendees
Easy
If you employ an informal system of event management, you'll probably communicate with attendees by email. Set up a recordkeeping system to keep track of which emails you've sent and to whom. If you maintain a mailing list, you can also include a link to the signup form on your website.
Important: Use bcc: recipients for group emails
For group emails, you should use the bcc: method of addressing emails, which protects the anonymity of each attendee. Add each attendee's email address to the bcc: recipient field. Put your business email address in the To: field. Each bcc: recipient receives your email, but can't see any of the other recipients' email addresses. Most email programs limit the number of recipients for one email to prevent spamming. For example, if your business uses a free Gmail account, the limit at this writing is 500 recipients per email or per day.
Intermediate to Advanced
Squarespace Scheduling and Commerce, as well as third-party event management systems, include ways to send emails to attendees at several points in the process. Some also allow you to send text messages if attendees have provided a phone number. Communications can contain all the information you want to convey or link people to information on a hidden website page you've set up for the event.
A pre-event website page might repeat the date and location, have details about what to bring to the event, what to expect, or directions and parking information. You might also add a link to signing up for your mailing list if you have one. It could also include a form that attendees must complete before they attend, such as an intake, waiver, or photo release form.
A post-event website page might have downloadable giveways such as short videos, PDFs, coupon codes, or links to any highlights you've posted on your own website or social media.
If you’re ready to share your knowledge, experience, or talents with others, your website can be a central hub for preparing for and managing group events. And when you use Squarespace as your website platform, you now know you have lots of options for promoting and managing those events on your own.
