A multi-brand transformation of the user experience.

The Royal Agricultural Society of NSW

Challenge


The Royal Agricultural Society of NSW (RAS) was set up to improve food standards in Australia. Under its umbrella are the Sydney Royal Easter Show, an annual celebration of the role of agriculture in our nation, complete with food stalls, carnival rides, and animal exhibits, and Sydney Showground, a venue and event management space. Additionally, the Competition Administration System (CAS) is a portal for those entering RAS competitions, such as farmers and florists.

Sudo Roux has undertaken a multi-year transformation of these brands, all of which were hindered by outdated and poorly maintained websites. Despite welcoming nearly a million guests annually, the Easter Show faces challenges due to an outdated web presence that hasn’t been updated in over 7 years.

This set-and-forget approach posed challenges for the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW and its subsidiaries. Continuing our efforts in the transformation of user experience, we aim to align across the business for consistent user and brand experience, enhancing the experience for both our clients and their visitors.

Taking on this transformation in such a truncated timeframe required a leap of faith. However, having built the 2-3 year strategic roadmap in partnership with Sudo Roux meant that we all know where we are heading, and we all had skin in the game. That is rare from a digital agency in my experience.

Frances Jewell

Head of Marketing, Royal Agricultural Society of NSW

Solution

From a user perspective, we created a front end that was clean and easy to navigate.

For our client, we built a consistent framework for use across all websites. They could use this to author things quickly and autonomously, and to easily access everything they need.

Royal Agricultural Society of NSW

A 7-year build-up of website content meant users had to wade through lots of unnecessary pages to find what they needed. We consolidated, streamlined and cleaned up the content, only keeping the useful pages to make the site easier to navigate.

A big part of the RAS is to open up competitions to its users. We streamlined the competition entry process to make it 2easier for users to find and enter competitions, with an improved IA that enabled:

  • A re-categorisation of some of the competitions
  • New filtering
  • Improved search functionality
  • A cohesive experience for users even if staff in the business work in silos
  • Each competition to have its own dedicated page or “hub”, giving return users easy access to things like results and key dates
RASNSW event timeline and thumbnail transformation of user experience

A HubSpot integration provided a holistic view of each contact and their journey with the RAS. We fed Expressions of Interest and subscription forms into the CRM, where automations tag and sort each entry to make sure every user receives the right comms.

transformation of user experience of RASNSW event list and headline

RAS aims to move towards a 365-day-a-year operation. To help, we decided to hero their events on the homepage, shining a light on more than just the Easter Show. From Comic Con to Grape, Grain & Graze (a wine-tasting event) and farm day excursions for schools, we set out to showcase the breadth of venues and diversity of events on offer.

Sydney Showground

With a focus on selling venue space beyond the 2-week Royal Easter Show period, the Sydney Showground website needed to make it easy for each user to complete their goals. Organisers want to find a fit-for-purpose venue, exhibitors want operational details, visitors want to browse events.

To achieve this, we incorporated the following features to make that happen:

  • An easy-to-navigate, non-intrusive venue search bar for users
  • Toolkits with information about health and safety, marketing and operations for organisers
  • Downloadable images for organisers to share with their boss for easier sign-off on a space
  • Simpler ways for organisers to select the perfect venue, including walkable 360-degree tours showing venues in multiple modes. We also improved filtering capabilities, so users can now search by capacity and by square metre
The Dome venue detail and Sydney Showground event transformation of user experience

Sydney Royal Easter Show

The Easter Show became the first piece of the multi-year transformation. A rite of passage for Sydneysiders, the show had a rich history but was stuck in the past.

We needed to switch the focus to the experience of the user base (which happened to be ⅕ of the size of Sydney). We integrated a CRM and marketing automation strategy so the client could understand their customers on a personal level. With the right insights, we were able to create tailored customer journeys designed to help each user reach their destination with ease.

We opted for:

  • A mobile-first approach
  • Search engine optimisation
  • GA4 implementation
  • Website redesign and rebuild
  • An opti-environment upgrade
  • Scalable design systems for the client to author their own content
  • Wayfinding capabilities 
Easter show event and map transformation of user experience

Competition Administration System

Even the most seasoned competitor can get overwhelmed by the entry registration process, especially where animals are involved due to the substantial amount of required information.

However, CAS is a custom platform that has benefitted from continual upgrades from an IT professional’s perspective but lacked improvement from a user perspective. Therefore, we created a more connected and streamlined experience from website to portal, simplifying the entry process for users.

By utilizing our design framework, we optimized journey mapping and user flow to effectively display necessary information. Additionally, we designed a notification dashboard that prioritizes actions such as payments and information requests.

Overall, these enhancements have created a more connected and streamlined experience from website to portal, ensuring a straightforward process for users entering competitions.

Activation

The initial scope of this project was to improve the IA and UX; however, it didn’t include new features. We determined that enhancing the user experience necessitated introducing features absent in the old websites, thereby facilitating a transformation of user experience with more direct and efficient pathways for users to reach their destinations.

The outdated sites were uninviting. Leveraging our custom design frameworks enabled clients to easily manage their own content going forward, contributing to a transformation of user experience. This not only enhanced UX but also saved time for both clients and their users.

Royal Agricultural Society of NSW Results

RAS now has a website that’s led from a user perspective rather than internally. We’ve swapped mega-navs that bury users with a simple menu and established clarity between different departments in the business. Consequently, whether users seek information on competitions, memberships, or the RAS Foundation, they’ll now easily find it.

The consolidation and culling of pages cut unnecessary website weight by 70%. 

Competition Administration System Results

One of the most prestigious brands in the country now has an image to match. Better navigation and a cohesive look provide a consistent user experience from website to portal. Entering competitions is now simpler, encouraging more entries and improving business perceptions.

Integrating CAS into HubSpot gives marketing teams instant access to competition entries versus EOI registrations.

This enables opportunities to segment both user groups. The client can now up-sell for next year and cross-sell other competitions. Additionally, they can identify what prevented some users from entering competitions.

Compared to manually ingesting CSVs every 3-6 months, the client has an up-to-date, almost real-time database on their hands. This saves lots of time for multiple teams while generating richer data for better results.

Sydney Showground Results

Sydney Showground now has the tools to stay competitive, and to cater to clients and visitors in the B2B and B2C space. Moreover, an overhaul of the site’s architecture and design creates a smoother experience for every user – whether they’re organising, exhibiting, or just visiting an event. By improving the venue page’s design and functionality, information is easier to consume and venues are easier to find. Tools like GA4 and Microsoft Clarify confirm users are getting what they need straight away.

New integrated toolkits benefit both our client and their visitors, thereby reducing time spent in back-and-forths with interested customers. Additionally, we plugged all forms into our client’s CRM, sending a user’s information straight to them, so it’s ready to pick up and act upon.

Sydney Royal Easter Show Results

Up-to-date technology and automation helped us transform the digital presence of the Sydney Royal Easter Show, and build an online environment the modern user expects.

Technologies

  • Momentus Technologies

  • Mapbox

Let’s Talk.

Untangle your organisation’s challenge. Re-imagine the customer experience.

It starts with a call to Sudo Roux: 1300 753 499