Project Background
Conquest Games Convention is a tabletop roleplaying convention that happens annually in Melbourne, Australia. The event has been running since the 1980s, only taking a pause in 2020 due to a lockdown.
Prior to 2021, Conquest’s attendee numbers were falling below 200. In 2023, I got numbers over 550!
Here’s how I did it:
- Organic and paid social media marketing strategy.
- Hashtag and keyword research.
- Email newsletter marketing.
- On-page SEO.
- Custom WordPress theme design (Divi).
- Website maintenance.
Achievements
Because Conquest doesn’t receive any commercial or government funding, I’ve chosen to offer my talents for free. Why? Because it’s an important experience for the local gaming community in Melbourne (and Australia).
- Between the 2021 and 2022 conventions, I helped grow attendee numbers grow by 45%!
- For the 2023 convention, I helped attendee numbers grow by 70%!
- On first page of Google search results for “Dungeons & Dragons Melbourne”.
- Made their website responsive and easy to use on mobiles, allowing easier access to more visitors.
The Transformation
Upon taking over the website design in 2013, it became important to design for mobile (responsive design) as previous iterations of the website didn’t offer this feature. From 2014 to 2016 I created custom WordPress themes from scratch. In 2022 I rebuilt the website using the Divi theme, to make it easier for our committee members to edit content.
Since 2016 I have taken over operation of Conquest’s email newsletter. I have designed the custom email template, and usually write the messages with assistance from the committee. Conquest sends out emails as often as needed – with frequency increasing as the convention gets closer.
Up until 2022 I have managed the Instagram and Twitter profiles for Conquest. But as of 2022, Instagram is now being contributed to by our committee members, with my direction. I also share responsibility of looking after the Facebook page with the other committee members.
From 2014 to 2021 I have used Adobe InDesign and Illustrator to produce posters for the annual games convention. (“Emily” illustrations have been provided by various artists.) I now currently use Canva to produce our social media graphics for Facebook and Instagram.
Feedback From the Committee
“Lou has completely rebuilt our website, and in doing so has created a site that any committee member is able to maintain and update with new copy, artwork and improvements to functionality in the future. Lou worked closely with our committee to determine our website requirements, and has been in frequent and proactive contact with us to ensure the site functions as successfully as possible, and also to suggest and implement improvements as our needs change.”
“As the Current President of Conquest I have seen first hand the work Lou has done to increase the online presence of our convention. With their help we have reached a wider community and increased our attendance as well as the effectiveness of our advertising dollars.”
The Results
Get in touch with Lou
I’ve had the pleasure of working with Louise on a project for a joint client. I found her to be professional, very capable and her work is beautiful.
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