Are you in the market for a killer theme to promote your next conference? Your search is over! We’ve taken a look at the options and come up with a short list of our top five.
Because we don’t want to waste your time, all of the themes here are responsive – meaning they’ll display as beautifully on a tablet as on a PC. The themes recommended here are for those of you on a very limited budget.
Of course, at IvyCat we create beautifully designed custom themes that will reflect your brand’s message and fill up those seats. If you’re looking for a custom theme, contact us today for a quote.
You’ll notice that the first three themes are all from Showthemes. We’re not an affiliate of theirs, but after checking out several event themes, it became obvious that they know their stuff (turns out they are funded by event professionals, so that explains it). From the scheduling system to the integration with popular third-party ticketing vendors (not just PayPal), their themes top our list.
The Themes
Which theme you end up going for can depend on a lot of different things, but here are a few key aspects you should take into consideration:
- Price
- Ticketing and payment options
- Ease of customization
- Design
We’ve given a brief review of our favorite themes here, but be sure to explore the demo and website fully before committing!
1. Vertoh
Vertoh, the newest theme from Showthemes, is the most robust theme on this list. It has everything you’d expect (schedule and tickets), plus advanced features such as speaker, exhibit and advanced schedule management. Vertoh is the most customizable of the three Showthemes, with four header options and 15 color combinations. All of the Showthemes have a countdown, a map, and integrated social media.
Ticketing: Integrates with Eventbrite, etouches, Event Espresso, WooCommerce and Xing Events.
Price: $79 for a standard license.
2. Tyler
Tyler is another beautiful theme from Showthemes. It offers a dedicated speakers page, detailed speaker profiles and the ability to feature keynote speakers on the home page. Like Vertoh, it has 15 color combinations, but it does not have the different header options or the advanced exhibit management.
Ticketing: Integrates with Eventbrite, etouches, Event Espresso, WooCommerce and Xing Events.
Price: $79 for a standard license.
3. Fudge
Our final selection from Showthemes, Fudge is a stunning one-page theme that gets the job done. The brilliant design can handle a multiple speaker, multi-day event with ease. Speaker biographies are displayed in pop-ups, and the schedule can be filtered to find exactly what you’re looking for. The least customizable of the three Showthemes, Fudge comes with 10 preset color palettes.
Ticketing: Integrates with Eventbrite, Event Espresso, WooCommerce and Xing Events.
Price: $79 for a standard license.
4. The Keynote
A fairly new theme from GoodLayers, The Keynote theme looks great and has the features you’d expect: speaker lists and bios, event schedule and a snazzy countdown clock. It also comes with a page builder for custom pages, a master slider and an advanced admin section.
Ticketing: Has a built-in PayPal payment system or can be used with third-party ticketing systems.
Price: $48 for a standard license.
5. Conference
The aptly named Conference theme is an attractive and trendy theme that has a built-in events manager, making it easy to list each day’s events. Speakers, sponsors or team members can be highlighted using one of the eight custom post types. Conference is highly customizable – logos, backgrounds, header images, colors and even favicons can all be customized.
Ticketing: Integrates with PayPal and Eventbrite.
Pricing: $99 for a standard license.
Summary
So there you are – our roundup of the best WordPress event themes for conferences currently out there. While our personal preference leans toward the themes created by the folks at Showthemes because of their customization options and attractive style, there are many event themes out there that can meet your needs. We hope this helped you find the perfect theme for your next event!
Are you in the market for an event theme? Let IvyCat custom design a theme that will grab your visitor’s attention and fill up those seats! Contact us today for a quote.