You have spent months planning your conference, then a key sponsor backs out, slashing your budget overnight. Or maybe you are organizing a non-profit event where every dollar counts, and even basic expenses feel impossible. Sound familiar?
At Spiny Events, we’ve been there.
Traditionally, building a conference website requires hiring developers, purchasing expensive plugins, and managing hosting—a luxury most organizers can’t afford. On top of that it does not have all the features that a conference needs.
But what if you could create a professional, functional event website without breaking the bank? That’s where Spiny Events comes in—a cost-effective, no-code solution designed specifically for event organizers.
Still wondering if investing in a conference website is worth it? We’ll break down why not having one can do more harm than good and how we can help you build professional website for your conference.
Why does your conference need a website?
Your conference can’t afford to go without a professional website. It’s the digital front door to your event. Even with a tight budget, having a dedicated conference website is essential. You might think skipping a website saves money, but the real cost is far higher: your event’s reputation.
Imagine you are attending a conference where you have to rely on Facebook or LinkedIn posts to check the speaker lineup and carry a printed schedule everywhere. Fun fact: Printing all those schedules might cost you more than just using our platform!
Here’s why you need a professional website for your conference:
1. Attendees Trust & Credibility
When we organize conferences, we’ve consistently seen a dramatic spike in ticket sales after sharing speaker profiles on our website. Showcasing your speakers isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s a proven strategy to drive registrations and build excitement, and what better and more authentic way than sharing their profile on the official conference website.
- We have found that 70% of attendees research an event online before registering.
- Facebook and LinkedIn are excellent platforms for promoting and sharing updates about the conference. However, attendees can’t rely solely on these channels for all the detailed information about the event.
2. Sponsors Walks Away
Sponsors invest in events that reflect their brand’s value. No website = no visibility.
- 87% of sponsors expect logo placement, session mentions, and dedicated landing pages.
- Without a site, you can’t showcase sponsors professionally, leading to lost partnerships.
- Now that you have already lost a sponsor, you might lose more if you cannot make other sponsors happy.
3. Communication Chaos
Last-minute changes? Good luck updating a PDF or emailing 500 attendees.
- 42% of event planners say poor communication is attendees’ #1 frustration.
- Real-time updates (room changes, cancellations) are impossible without a real-time solution.
4. Missed Post-Event Opportunities
A website isn’t just for promotion—it’s a long-term resource.
- Post-event recordings, slides, and networking tools keep engagement alive.
- Without a site, your event disappears the moment it ends, wasting momentum.
Why “Cheap” Website Builders will eventually cost you more
Most event planners choose platforms like WordPress, Webflow, or Wix to cut costs, only to encounter hidden expenses that exceed their budget. While we greatly respect these platforms for building landing pages, corporate sites, e-commerce stores, and personal portfolios, conferences website has a unique challenge. It’s not impossible—but the time, effort, and costs involved can be significant.
1. Using WordPress
If you are planning to build a website with WordPress, you can purchase a theme for around $59. However, you’ll also need separate hosting, which typically costs between $79 and $120 per year. Editing and updating these themes often require technical expertise, meaning you may need to hire a developer—costing anywhere from $500 to $2,000 just to set up & customize the theme you purchased. Moreover, most themes lack essential features for conferences, particularly when it comes to managing multi-day, multi-track schedules, handling time zones, and providing real-time updates.
3. Webflow or Wix
You can purchase a Webflow or Wix template for a one-time cost of $49 to $79. A key advantage of these platforms is that they include hosting, eliminating the need for a separate hosting plan. However, their monthly subscription costs range from $16 to $28, totaling at least $192 to $336 per year. While updating and editing on Webflow and Wix is more user-friendly compared to WordPress—allowing you to make changes on your own—these platforms still lack the capability to efficiently manage multi-day, multi-track schedules with time zone support and real-time updates.
3. Building your own Website
If you’re looking for a conference website with all the features that Spiny Event provides, you have two options: building a fully custom website or developing a custom WordPress site using ACF. Having extensive experience in WordPress plugin development, we’ve chosen the latter for many of our conference projects. However, this approach has cost us at least $8,000, and keeping up with regular WordPress updates to ensure compatibility has been an ongoing challenge.
The truth is, we’ve tried it all—WordPress, Webflow. Yet, none of them fully met the requirements for conference websites, whether it was a small-scale, single-day, single-track event or a large-scale, multi-day, multi-track conference. That’s why we built Spiny Events—a cloud-hosted solution designed exclusively for events, ensuring seamless management and a hassle-free experience.
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Why Spiny Events is the best solution for conference website
First and foremost, our website builder is designed exclusively for events and conferences. We’re not just another budget-friendly option—we are the only solution that truly understands the pain points of event organizers because we’ve been through it ourselves.
Spiny Events was built from firsthand experience—both organizing and attending countless events. Through the ups and downs, we’ve refined our platform to empower almost any type of conference. In fact, we’re confident that our solution can meet the needs of any event around the world. Of course, there are unique events that require fully custom solutions, and we recognize that. But for the vast majority, Spiny Events is the all-in-one platform that simplifies event management without compromise.
Spiny Events vs. Other Website Builders: Price Comparision
| Feature | Spiny Events | WordPress | Wix or Webflow |
|---|---|---|---|
| No-Code Builder | ✅ Free | ✅ | ✅ |
| Hosting & Security | ✅ Included | ❌ | ✅ |
| Event Tools | ✅ Built-in | ❌ | ❌ |
| Speakers Profile | ✅ Built-in | ❌ Extra plugin | ✅ Built-in CMS |
| Timezone based Schedule | ✅ Built-in | ❌ Custom coding | ❌ |
| Developers Fee | ✅ Not needed | ❌ $2000+ | ❌ $2000+ |
| Template | ✅ Built-in | $59 | $79 |
| Cost | $129 | $3500+ | $ 2500+ |
| Renewal | $29 | $120+ | $300+ |
The costs mentioned above apply only to templated solutions. If you need a fully custom design with advanced, tailored features, building on WordPress, Webflow, or Wix will cost you at least 10x more—both in development time and ongoing maintenance.
Is Spiny Events an affordable solution? Any hidden costs?
Let’s be honest—comparing Spiny Events to WordPress, Webflow, or Wix isn’t exactly fair. These platforms are general-purpose website builders, designed for everything from blogs to e-commerce stores. Spiny Events, on the other hand, is built specifically for events and conferences, allowing us to optimize development and keep costs lower.
Since we operate on a templated system, we can replicate and scale efficiently, making it more cost-effective than custom-built solutions. But if you’re concerned about using a templated design, remember—even WordPress, Webflow, and Wix templates work the same way. A fully custom-built event website on these platforms would easily cost $20,000+.
Pricing & Transparency: Spiny Events
- $129 per event
- $29 per year only if you want your event website to stay live after the conference
Most organizers don’t keep past event websites live beyond a year or two, so this is rarely an additional cost.
No Hidden Fees
There are no hidden costs, except for:
- Credit card processing & bank fees (typically 1-2%)
- Sales taxes (varies by country, based on local policies- typically 5-15%)
Beyond that, what you see is what you pay—no surprise fees, no extras.
In Short: Your attendees deserve better so do you.
You don’t need a Fortune 500 budget to create a professional conference website. With Spiny Events, you can:
- Launch faster: Build your site in hours, not weeks.
- Save money: No developers, plugins, or hidden fees.
- Impress attendees: Mobile-friendly designs, real-time updates, and post-event resources.
Start Your Free Trial Today. Build your conference website for $0. No credit card required.
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Every website builder has its own strengths and limitations. WordPress, Webflow, and Wix are fantastic choices for business websites, eCommerce stores, personal portfolios, and corporate landing pages. They offer flexibility and a wide range of features, but when it comes to events and conferences, they often fall short—especially in handling multi-day, multi-track schedules, time zones, and real-time updates.
That’s where Spiny Events comes in. We’re not just another website builder; we are purpose-built for events and conferences. Our platform is designed with event organizers in mind, providing an all-in-one solution that eliminates the complexity, hidden costs, and development headaches of traditional website builders.
If your goal is to seamlessly manage your event website with the right tools, structure, and affordability, Spiny Events is the best solution for you.
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