Mission-Critical Drupal to WordPress Migration for NAB Show
Executive Summary
NAB Show, produced by the National Association of Broadcasters, required a mission-critical migration from Drupal to WordPress ahead of its April 2020 Las Vegas conference. The website needed to maintain search rankings, handle high traffic volumes, and implement smarter workflows before the event.
Multidots completed the migration in 12 weeks, delivering a 77.51% improvement in page load speed, implementing automated workflows, and hosting the site on WordPress VIP to ensure performance and reliability.
Page Load Speed Improvement
Monthly Visitor Growth
Project Delivered Ahead of Timeline
About: NAB SHOW
NAB Show is an annual trade show produced by the National Association of Broadcasters. With a 97-year history, the event attracts over 100,000 industry professionals and stands among the most influential association trade shows globally.
During the conference period, the website experiences approximately:
- 36,000 daily unique visits
- 200,000 page views
As the premier advocacy association for America’s broadcasters, NAB focuses on innovation, education, and industry advancement.
Trade Show Event
Daily Unique Visits During Conference
Founded
The Challenge: Mission-Critical Deadline and Workflow Constraints
The migration was tied to a fixed and high-stakes deadline — the April 2020 Las Vegas conference.
The team faced several challenges:
- Safeguarding existing search rankings
- Protecting online reputation during migration
- Eliminating redundant workflows
- Implementing smart, automated workflows
- Completing migration before a major live event
The Goal: Migrate from Drupal to WordPress while preserving SEO performance, improving workflow efficiency, and ensuring the website was fully operational before the conference.
The Solution: Enterprise Drupal-to-WordPress Migration
Multidots collaborated closely with the NAB Show team to execute a structured migration plan.
Key Technical Implementations:
- Workflow Documentation & Planning: Documented existing workflows and objectives before migration to ensure accurate transition.
- Milestone-Based Execution: Divided the project into defined milestones with demo reviews for feedback and alignment.
- Customer Acceptance Testing: Conducted testing on the client’s server before final deployment.
- WordPress Gutenberg Implementation: Deployed WordPress using Gutenberg to improve content design flexibility.
- Custom Plugin Development: Developed custom plugins to support specific workflow requirements.
- WordPress VIP Hosting Recommendation: Recommended and deployed hosting on WordPress VIP to ensure performance and security.
We all at NAB Show were delighted to work with the Multidots team. They delivered the website on time and absolutely are the Drupal to WordPress migration and Gutenberg experts. Their commitment to quality and service is unprecedented. We are continuing to work on other projects with them.
The Results: Performance, SEO Stability, and Workflow Efficiency
The migration was completed successfully ahead of the April 2020 conference.
1. Performance Improvements
- 77.51% improvement in average page load time
2. SEO & Reputation Protection
- Maintained existing search rankings
- Preserved online reputation during migration
3. Workflow Efficiency
- Eliminated redundant processes
- Implemented automated workflows
- Improved operational efficiency for the convention team
Mission-Critical Drupal to WordPress Migration for NAB Show
NAB Show partnered with Multidots to migrate from Drupal to WordPress in 12 weeks, improving page speed by 77.51% ahead of a mission-critical event.
