U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

EERE Communication Standards & Guidelines

Conference Websites

Conference websites, like other websites on EERE, should follow EERE's guidance on websites. They should be developed in the EERE template, hosted on one of the approved EERE locations, and use EERE's approved conference site navigation labels.

Requirements

The following items are required when creating a conference website sponsored by EERE.

Template and Design

All conference sites sponsored by EERE should be in the EERE template and hosted in OpenText. If your site requires a different template, send an explanation to the Web Governance Team.

If your conference is designed for the Office of EERE as well as other offices within the Department of Energy, then it should be built in the Energy.gov template and hosted in the Energy.gov environment. The only exception to this is the registration page.

Registration Pages

Registration pages do not have to be hosted on EERE or coded in the EERE template. You may use external websites to host your registration pages and to collect your registrants' information, as long as they meet EERE's requirements for a secure hosting environment.

Page Content and Approved Navigation Labels

You should use the left navigation labels listed on the EERE Library of Approved Navigation Labels. You do not have to use all of these labels. However, if you have content that can fit under one of these labels, you are encouraged to use the approved label.

If you create unique navigation, it must be approved by the EERE Template Coordinator following the normal procedure for navigation approval.

  • Registration

    For registration information or the conference's registration form.

  • Agenda

    For the daily schedule and list of events.

  • Exhibits

    For detailed information about exhibits and exhibitors. Can also include information on how to become an exhibitor.

  • Sponsors

    For information about the sponsors. Can also include information on how to become a sponsor.

  • Hotel & Travel

    For information about the hotel(s) and how to get there.

  • Proceedings

    Used after the conference is over. This section includes material from the event, including content such as presentations, minutes, or other materials.

  • Past Conferences / Past Meetings / Past Workshops

    For linking to sites from earlier conferences.

  • Contacts

    For standard contact information.

Best Practices

When writing content for a conference site, the home page of any conference, workshop, or meeting Web site must always include basic information about the event. Every home page should clearly state:

  • The name of the conference
  • The date it will be held
  • The location of the conference
  • A brief description of the event