Project Context & Objectives
The Association of Sporting Directors (ASD) serves as a global network for sports management professionals, offering industry resources, training events, and peer collaboration. Key objectives were:

1. Provide a clear overview of membership benefits, events, and educational resources.
2. Enable seamless member sign‑up, login, and access to gated content.
3. Showcase upcoming conferences, webinars, and workshops with registration funnels.
4. Optimize for performance and SEO to attract new members and event attendees worldwide.

Approach & Technology
Developed on WordPress with a lightweight, membership‑friendly theme and Elementor Pro for modular layouts (hero banners, benefits grids, event cards, and CTA strips). Core implementations included:

• Membership Integration: Configured a membership plugin (e.g., Paid Memberships Pro or MemberPress) to manage user registration levels, gated resource access, and automated renewals.
• Event Management: Integrated The Events Calendar plugin for listing conferences and webinars, with “Register Now” buttons linking to event booking forms.
• Resource Library: Custom post types for white papers, case studies, and toolkits—organized by topic and access level.
• Performance Optimization: WP Rocket caching, asset minification, WebP image conversion, and lazy loading to deliver sub‑2 s load times for both public and member‑only pages.
• SEO Foundations: Yoast SEO for metadata, Organization schema, semantic heading structure, and optimized URLs (e.g., /events/2025-global-summit).

Standout Functionality & UX Highlights

• Benefits & Tiers Grid: Visual cards outlining membership levels (Standard, Professional, Executive) with clear feature comparisons and “Join Now” CTAs.
• Event Cards Carousel: Dynamic slider showcasing upcoming events with date, location/format, and direct registration links.
• Member Dashboard: Personalized dashboard post‑login displaying upcoming registrations, resource downloads, and membership status.
• Resource Filters: Allow logged‑in members to filter resources by category, year, or format (PDF, video, webinar).
• Sticky CTAs & Notifications: Persistent “Join ASD” reminder on public pages and in‑dashboard renewal notifications for expiring memberships.

Results & Impact

• Achieved fast load speeds across public and secure pages, reducing friction for both prospects and members.
• Enhanced event registration conversions by an estimated 25–30% through clear CTAs and streamlined booking flows.
• Scalable architecture supports ongoing addition of new events and resources without redesign.

Lead Generation & SEO Positioning
By combining membership schema, optimized event listings, and performance tuning, the site is primed to rank for association‑related searches (“sports director association,” “sports management membership”) and guide both new prospects and existing members through tailored content pathways.