Independent · Perth, WA · Post-Cirkall · 2025–2026

Chosen Conference

Built an 11-page WordPress conference site and designed a tiered raffle mechanic that secured 300+ registrations months before the November 2026 event.

300+Registrations secured

37.5%Of 800 target capacity

4Raffle prize tiers

800Target attendees

Independent project — post-Cirkall

Chosen Conference — website build & registration strategy

Perth · WordPress · 11–12 page build · Led 2-person team · Conference Nov 2026

Registrations open — campaign running to Nov 2026

Services delivered

WordPress development Multi-page site build Team leadership Registration strategy Incentive campaign design Graphic design Promotional strategy

A note on context

This project was completed independently after Cirkall closed in December 2025 — not under the Cirkall banner. It is included here because it represents the most recent substantial project completed, and because it demonstrates a different kind of scope: leading a website build and registration strategy simultaneously, for an event targeting 800 attendees, with the November 2026 conference date still ahead.

The brief

A youth community organisation was planning the Chosen Conference, targeting around 800 attendees. They needed two things: a professional website to serve as the digital home of the event, and a strategy to drive early registrations well before the November 2026 conference date.

I was brought in to lead both workstreams simultaneously: working alongside a lead developer on the WordPress site, handling all design and copywriting myself, and personally developing the registration strategy to bring people to it.

The approach

Lead an 11–12 page WordPress build

I worked alongside a lead developer through a full 11–12 page WordPress build: custom designed, covering event details, program, speakers, and a clear path through to registration. I led on all design decisions, page structure, and copywriting across every page, shaping the overall experience to push people toward registering, not just inform them. The conference coordinator described the website as better than anything money could have bought, and said it genuinely reflected the aesthetic and feel of the conference.

Design a tiered early-bird raffle system

The core challenge was getting people to register months before the event. Standard early-bird discounts are common and easy to ignore. I proposed a tiered raffle mechanic instead: every week a person registered before the conference, they earned an additional entry into a draw with progressively better prizes. The system rewarded early action in a way that felt exciting rather than transactional, and created ongoing social momentum as people talked about the prizes and encouraged each other to register.

Structure the prize tiers to maximise perceived value

The raffle prizes escalated in value and exclusivity: from free merchandise and registration cost coverage, to halved registration fees, to VIP tickets. Each tier gave people a concrete, aspirational reason to register sooner rather than later. Even the base reward felt genuinely worthwhile.

The raffle prize tiers

Tier 1

Free conference merchandise

Tier 2

Registration cost fully covered

Tier 3

Registration cost halved

Tier 4

VIP ticket upgrade

The mechanic was simple enough for anyone to understand immediately, but compelling enough to create genuine urgency. Every week you waited was another entry you missed.

Results

300+

registrations secured months before the event

800

target attendees for November conference

37.5%

of target capacity already filled pre-campaign

Handed over

system ran independently after handover

The website and raffle system were handed over to the conference team and are running independently, continuing to drive registrations toward November 2026.

Why this matters

This project is the most recent thing in this portfolio and it sits outside the Cirkall context deliberately. It shows that the ability to take a brief, lead a build, write the content, and design a campaign strategy that works after handover isn't something that depended on having an agency behind it.

The raffle mechanic was designed to run without me. The website was built to be managed by a non-technical team. Both are still running. Building something sustainable enough to keep working after you leave is the whole point, and this project is the clearest example of that in the portfolio.

Leading a build while simultaneously developing the strategy also tested the ability to operate at two levels at once: hands-on execution and big-picture thinking. Knowing when to step in and direct, and when to trust the team to deliver, is something this project sharpened considerably.

Website screenshots

Tools & skills used

WordPress Custom web design Adobe Photoshop Adobe Illustrator Team leadership Campaign strategy Incentive design Project management

Case study published January 2026

Open to work

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Looking for a full-time comms or marketing role in Perth.

john.padua@outlook.com.au LinkedIn ↗ Download Resume ↓