Challenges & Considerations
- A large data migration including more than 14,000 photos
- Management of 800+ user accounts
- A separate CRM database in FileMaker which the ALD wanted integrate into the new website to avoid duplication of entry and synchronisation of data
Options
The ALD had already identified Drupal CMS as their preferred platform of choice for the new website. WordPress was also considered, but it was recognised that Drupal's superior data handling capabilities and extensive library of modules offered a better solution, while keeping custom coding (and therefore development costs) to a minimum.
The Problem
The ALD is a membership organisation of 800+ active lighting and video professionals. Their old website was authored in native PHP and served them well for the best part of a decade. It included the ability for individual members to create micro-sites where they could showcase their portfolio of photos and show credits, and upload dates and details of forthcoming productions they are working on. The ALD wanted to move to a modern platform, facilitating an updated design and benefit from a more fully-featured CMS.
The Solution
The website we built for the ALD features a member’s area behind a secure login, allowing each member to maintain their own directory listing profile, biography and portfolio. We added a ‘find a lighting professional’ search facility which enables visitors to the website to filter the directory of freelancers based on criteria such as roles, locations, languages and experience. We migrated more than 14,000 photographs from the old website and introduced new features such as a members discussion forum, online membership application and vetting process, industry-related news aggregator, integration with MailChimp and CRM functions.
Client Testimonial
"Our splendid Qdos developer, David Hasell, has enthusiastically, interactively, and skilfully re-created our website with an incisive design (creatively based on the ALD logo) and a raft of new features that deliver a much more interactive member experience."
