WEBSITE MIGRATION • UX • DIGITAL REDESIGN

Court of Master Sommeliers

I helped protect, migrate and modernise a complex digital platform serving an internationally recognised community of sommeliers, candidates and educators.

PROJECT DETAILS

  • Client: Court of Master Sommeliers
  • Services: Website migration, technical planning, UX, interface design and digital support
  • Platform: WordPress and Advanced Custom Fields
  • Project scope: More than 18,000 media assets and a complex content structure
Welcome to the Court of Master Sommeliers COURT OF MASTER SOMMELIERS WEBSITE

THE PROJECT

Protecting a complex digital platform.

The Court of Master Sommeliers needed more than a visual website refresh. Its existing platform contained years of important course information, event content, learning resources and more than 18,000 media assets.

The website was built around a highly customised WordPress structure using Advanced Custom Fields. Its content and functionality were closely tied to a legacy hosting environment that was no longer sustainable.

I was brought in through UKFizz to help plan and deliver a controlled migration while protecting the content, functionality and experience relied upon by an international community.

THE CHALLENGE

Precision without disruption.

This was not a straightforward lift-and-shift migration. Years of course content, event galleries, bespoke fields and media had to be transferred without damaging the structure that connected everything.

Every important page, image, link and custom field needed to work correctly in its new environment. At the same time, disruption had to be kept to a minimum for candidates, members and educators using the platform.

The challenge was to protect what already worked while creating a more stable foundation for the website’s future.

DISCOVERY AND PLANNING

Understanding how everything connected.

Before anything was moved, I worked through the website’s structure to understand how its content, media and custom fields were connected.

The migration required careful planning rather than simply copying files from one server to another. The platform needed to be replicated, tested and verified before the final changeover.

This approach helped reduce risk, protect the integrity of the content and identify areas where the experience could be improved once the new environment was stable.

TECHNICAL DELIVERY

A controlled move to a stronger foundation.

The migration was planned as a careful sequence of replication, testing and verification. The objective was to move the complete platform while preserving its content relationships and avoiding unnecessary interruption.

01

Replicate

The existing website, content structure, media library and custom fields were replicated within the new hosting environment.

02

Test

Pages, links, media, layouts and bespoke content fields were checked to identify errors before the final switch.

03

Verify

The migrated platform was reviewed after launch to confirm that critical content and functionality remained available and usable.

CONTENT PRESERVATION

More than 18,000 assets safely carried forward.

The Court’s extensive media archive represented years of courses, events, people and institutional history.

Safeguarding more than 18,000 images was therefore a central part of the project—not a secondary technical task. The migration needed to preserve the media itself and the relationships connecting those assets to pages, galleries and custom content.

Protecting that archive helped retain the depth and continuity of the organisation’s digital history.

IMAGE ARCHIVE

THE REDESIGN

A clearer and more contemporary experience.

Once the migration was complete and the platform was stable, the next phase focused on improving the website’s appearance and usability.

The visual refresh introduced a cleaner interface, stronger content hierarchy and more immersive use of imagery and video. Navigation and page layouts were refined to make important information easier to understand and access.

The objective was not to redesign the organisation for the sake of it. It was to create a more contemporary experience that better reflected the Court’s international reputation.

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USER EXPERIENCE

Helping people find what they need.

The refreshed website needed to support several different audiences, including prospective candidates, existing members, educators and visitors exploring the organisation.

I helped improve the hierarchy and presentation of important content while retaining the underlying systems required to manage courses, resources, news and events.

The work brought together technical stability and a more focused user experience—making the platform easier to navigate without losing the depth of its content.

WHAT I DELIVERED

Migration, protection and improvement.

Planning and migration

  • Legacy platform assessment
  • Migration planning
  • Hosting transition
  • Pre-launch replication and testing
  • Post-launch verification

Content protection

  • Migration of more than 18,000 media assets
  • Preservation of existing website content
  • Advanced Custom Fields integration
  • Link and media checking
  • Content-structure quality assurance

Design and experience

  • Interface design refresh
  • Improved content hierarchy
  • Navigation refinement
  • Responsive layout improvements
  • Hero video integration

Ongoing delivery

  • Cross-device quality assurance
  • Performance review
  • Launch support
  • Technical problem-solving
  • Ongoing digital advice

THE RESULT

A legacy protected and a platform renewed.

The completed project gave the Court of Master Sommeliers a more stable digital foundation while preserving the content and systems built up over many years.

The refreshed interface created a clearer and more contemporary experience without losing the depth, authority or history of the organisation.

For me, the project demonstrates that effective digital work is not always about starting again. Sometimes the most valuable work is understanding what must be protected, improving what needs to change and carrying everything forward with care.

HAVE A COMPLEX DIGITAL PROJECT?

Need to modernise without losing what matters?

Whether you are moving a complex website, improving an existing digital experience or planning something completely new, I can help bring the technical and creative parts together.

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