MANAGED WORDPRESS
Modern Block Development
and High-Performance
Growth Take Center Stage
Using custom and core blocks as a powerful platform for WordPress, WebDevStudios
unlocks faster site speed and improves user engagement for global events leader Freeman.
Site:
Industry:
Event Services
"The new website is like a dream come true. In addition to the powerful performance and conversion results we’ve seen, the site has been extremely well-received by our clients and our employees. It’s exactly what we envisioned."
———Lou Tufillaro, Director of Web Growth, Freeman
100
PageSpeed Insights Performance score
91%
Faster First Contentful Paint
80%
Decrease in Bounce Rate
The Client
Freeman is a global leader in live events and brand experiences, helping organizations create unforgettable moments that foster meaningful connections. With a 97-year legacy in event management and cutting-edge technology, Freeman delivers strategic in-person, virtual, and hybrid event solutions that build trust and loyalty between audiences and the world’s top brands.
WebDevStudios is a leading WordPress development agency specializing in high-performance, scalable solutions for enterprises. Founded in 2008 by industry pioneers Brad Williams and Lisa Sabin-Wilson, the agency’s expert designers, developers, and project managers are dedicated to innovation, security, and exceptional digital experiences. Committed to WordPress best practices and community contributions, WebDevStudios builds user-friendly, secure, and future-proof websites that drive success.
The Challenge
A website redesign and rebuild for an enterprise client. Freeman’s previous site faced challenges with page speed, editing inconsistencies, and deployment issues. WebDevStudios was tapped to deliver a faster, more scalable, and user-friendly solution—enhancing performance, streamlining content management, and ensuring long-term stability along the way.
The Solution
Building on WP Engine’s managed hosting platform for WordPress, WebDevStudios redesigned Freeman’s site using its custom block theme, WDS-BT—replacing Elementor with core and native blocks and introducing patterns for design consistency. The team also migrated data to WordPress Core Blocks, preserving essential content, and fine-tuned performance with Page Speed Boost for caching, CDN customization, database optimization, and lazy loading.
The Results
As the global leader in live events, Freeman is renowned for crafting unforgettable experiences that forge lasting connections between audiences and its clients.
From the HIMSS Global Health Conference and Exhibition to the 2024 NATO Summit in Washington, D.C., the company’s services and scope have solidified its reputation as more than a global events company.
To fully reflect this broad impact, WebDevStudios was approached to redesign and rebuild Freeman’s website, transforming its digital presence into a high-performance, highly scalable experience.
By implementing a custom WordPress block theme and refining content workflows, WebDevStudios empowered the Freeman team to create visually and functionally consistent pages while allowing flexibility for unique designs.
Additionally, a seamless data migration ensured all essential content was retained and integrated into WordPress Core Blocks and Content Patterns.
“Building with a block-based approach allowed us to deliver a more effective content management framework to our client,” said WebDevStudios Project Lead Engineer Lauren Levin.
“And building it with WP Engine meant we could focus on the task at hand, knowing security, stability, and performance were all being handled in the background.”
The impact of the project was wide-reaching and included:
- A breakthrough in performance – Core Web Vitals scores soared to a perfect 100, optimizing speed and responsiveness.
- Dramatically improved user engagement – Bounce rates dropped 80% (47.04% → 9.57%), while visitors spent more time on the site and explored twice as many pages per session (3.3 → 7.14), far exceeding industry benchmarks.
- Refined operational efficiency – Content management became more intuitive, allowing Freeman’s team to create, edit, and maintain pages with ease and consistency.
- Ironclad technical reliability – Deployment issues were eliminated, ensuring a stable and efficient site experience.
"By rebuilding Freeman.com with a custom theme based on the WDS BT theme and incorporating WP Engine's Page Speed Boost, the site achieved a perfect 100% performance score. Starting from a 45% performance rating, this improvement highlights the impact of a modern, performance-focused block theme as a foundation, paired with advanced caching and CDN technologies,” said WebDevStudios Principal Technical Manager JC Palmes.
“The rebuild not only optimized site speed and responsiveness but also ensured compliance with Core Web Vitals, delivering a seamless and enhanced user experience.”
The project’s success also earned WebDevStudios a WP Engine Agency Partner Award for “Peak Performance”, highlighting the agency’s ability to craft high-performance, scalable websites.
With a future-ready, high-performance digital platform, Freeman now delivers a seamless, high-quality online experience that aligns with its brand, engages users, and supports long-term growth.
“The new website is like a dream come true,” said Freeman Director of Web Growth Lou Tufillaro.
“In addition to the powerful performance and conversion results, the site has been extremely well-received by our clients and employees. It’s exactly what we envisioned.”
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