Websites...

Both Crufts and the Maverick Sabre 'Lonley Are The Brave' tour have official sites which allow potential attendees to get to the source of information they are looking for quickly and efficiently, that also provide up to date information.

When tracking the marketing communications, the first place I turn to is the internet. Mintel say that 'much of todays landscape has evolved from the growing penetration of broadband, used by 61% of GB adults in 2009 ( up 51 percentage points on penetration in 2003). This has encouraged consumers to spend more time on the web, partly because broadband offers an 'always on' access, reinforced by faster, more compelling, browsing speeds. Increasing time spent has also been driven by the increasing amount of choice online, from e-commerce sites to social networking and beyond, as well as sophisticated and accessible web design' This shows that some of the potential customers that are attending the events will look on the internet.

A quick type into the search engine and both of the events official websites are listed high up on the first page, which is good as they need to make sure web information is as easily accessible as possible.
According to L. Hoyle 2002, ' One of the most important important ways to generate traffic to your event website is to get listed on all of the popular search engines and directories' I feel its the most common place people go when researching events.
'According to ComScore, in May, 2010, 43 million unique internet users used a search engine. According to the web management firm, Google is the most popular choice used by 38 million unique internet users that month' (Mintel, 2010) which confirms this is a good place to start!!

                      http://www.crufts.org.uk/
The Crufts website is very simple and easy to use, which is a good thing because as a customer, you want to find things quicker and have easy navigation and it could also entice you to go to the event. They also use bright colours and pictures making it more attractive and gives the potential customers an idea of fun.

All of the information is set out into different headings making it easier for the user to find information they are looking for. throughout the whole of the homepage there are many different links which take the consumer to the different sections straight away. Such as tickets and facebook. this is so people are not having to search though the website before finding the things they are looking for.

On the homepage, the first thing you are drawn to is the eye catching design. On the top of the page, it has the dates of the event so you can see when Crufts is which is informative and also makes the customer aware without having to look anywhere. It also has a countdown, saying how many days there are left up until the show. This will help potential attendees know how long they have until the event to which they can plan and arrange their day out. Also on the top of the page, next to the heading, is a picture of a dog which shows what the event is about.

You can also see a video of Crufts which is large making it more likely people will go on it. Its good that they have a video because you can see what Crufts is all about possibly making more people attend. You get a real feel for the event, without having to go. This is also a good way to market the event.

This is the second half of the homepage, where you can see, on the right of it is the latest news from Crufts which have short news articles informing readers of the latest news and updates. If you click on the news update it will take you to the full article.

Next to this is a 'whats on' section where you an see what breeds are performing on the different days. This again makes it easier for the reader to find information more quickly.
(add tickets picture)
Crufts also provide an icon where you can directly purchase tickets from. Having a quick link to purchasing tickets is good as it will make potential attendees more likely to buy a ticket there and then as its easy navigation and doesn't seem to be too much of an effort to get the tickets.

Dotted around the homepage are links to social networks such as facebook and twitter. Readers will be able to go onto these pages and be able to see what other attendees think of the event, and what the event is all about.
Lastly, at the bottom of the page is the official Kennel Club logo, and links to all of the relevant information that attendees will need, such as terms and conditions and accessibility. This makes the event look more legitimate and professional and more trustworthy.

The webpage for Maverick Sabre is different....


           link ....

Maverick Sabre has an offical website which provides fans and visitors with lastest news, pictures, videos, merchendise and a blog. From tracking the marking communications and being a fan of Maverick Sabre myself I can see the website has been updated recently, Straight away I can see that there has been a video uploaded from on of the 2012 tours.

The homepage obviously differs somewhat to Crufts and you can see even with a quick first glance. The colours and design are not as bright and colourful as Crufts. Maverick Sabre has a black and grey background colour which isn’t as eye catching.

He does however, like Crufts have videos of different performances and music videos. This engages the reader and gives them the opportunity to get a feel for his music and what the atmosphere and ... would be like at one of his gigs.

Straight away I can see the tour dates and the different venues where Maverick Sabre will be playing, if you hover one of the dates there is more information such as ticket prices and timings, although it doesnt have anything on there about prices. This is .... as visitors that want to get a ticket will be spending more time searching for the various venues to try and find the gig and to then purchase the tickets and to also find out more information, because this is not provided on the website.

The layout of the websites are very different design wise, although they have both got clear links to the information, and are laid out in different headings making it easier for the reader to find the information they are looking for. Maverick Sabre has links to; music and video, gallery, gigs, blogs, merch, 'about Maverick Sabre and also has his latest single. There is a picture of Maverick Sabre which is the picture from his album cover which to me is a clever way of advertising as it keeps the image in the visitors head.

On the about Maverick Sabre section, there is a biography of the artist which is very informative and tells the reader his story to how he got to where he is now and all of the achivements along the way.

There are clear links to social media sites at the top of the page, which is good as many people use these sites to talk to people and are a good way of meeting people with the same interests and is also a chance to have your say. There is also a picture of his album cover with links to all the different retailers that are selling his album, they are; HMV, Spotify, Play.com, Amazon, and iTunes.

Half way down the page, there are more vyou can clearly see the whats on section to the right and also in the centre. It gives the videos of recent performaces such as; live from London roundhouse, and BBC London session. There is also a competition which lets guests take part in a competition to win tickets to one of his gigs.  

Both of the events have official websites, although it is clear which one is better than the other. Crufts straight away give you much of the relevent infomation you will need if going to the event, making it more informative. The first thing you can see on the Crufts webpage is the dates, and they also have a countdown. With Maverick Sabre the dates are clearly listed at the top of the page although you do have to search further and navigate of the page to book tickets and to find out more information. You could be looking through the webpage for a significantly longer amount of time than you would with crufts. This could effect the number of attendees as visitors might not want to have to browse though websites until they find the information.

The designs are obviously different, and Crufts is a lot brighter and more easy to look at. Although Maverick Sabre does have videos which interact with the consumer giving them a feel for the experience. Both have clear links to social media sites which is good as it gives people a chance to talk to people who are attending the events and they can have their say. The broken down headings make the webpages more easily navigated, though I do feel Crufts have done this better.

Overall, I feel Crufts have a better webpage that is more up to date and that has all of the relevent information in the right places making it more easy for potential attendees to find infomation they need.