Case Study: Digital Transformation for Electric Animals Festival and Utopia Bar
Client Overview
Electric Animals Festival and Utopia Bar, a renowned music event and venue in San Jose, Costa Rica, required a comprehensive digital solution to manage their ticketing, access control, and POS systems. With multiple events and large crowds, they needed a seamless, integrated platform to enhance the attendee experience while optimizing operations.
Our team led the digital transformation by building two major projects that added $80,620 in new business while implementing a suite of integrated platforms for ticketing, access control, POS/cashless systems, and more. These systems were used for both Electric Animals Festival and Utopia Bar.
---
Challenges
1. Disconnected Systems: The client was using multiple fragmented tools for ticketing, access control, and payments, leading to inefficiencies.
2. Operational Inefficiency: Managing cash flow, ticket sales, and staff responsibilities were challenging due to the lack of automation and integration.
3. User Experience (UX/UI): Both staff and attendees faced difficulties with manual ticketing and payment processes, leading to long wait times and poor customer experiences.
4. Limited Digital Engagement: The venue needed a comprehensive platform to integrate both their festival and bar business, allowing for streamlined digital engagement with attendees.
---
Our Approach
To solve these challenges, we led the design and implementation of a robust suite of platforms covering ticketing, access control, and POS systems, while offering strategic consultation on improving UX/UI and event operations. Our role also included providing vital insights on feature development, onboarding, and system deployment.
---
Efforts and Execution
1. Integrated Ticketing, Registration, and Access Control
We built a multi-company and multi-location platform that integrated:
- Ticketing and registration systems (QR/RFID-based).
- Access control solutions, including credential fulfillment for staff and VIP attendees.
- POS and cashless payment systems, which included open and closed loop setups to manage both cash and cashless transactions.
Additionally, we helped launch a subdomain platform for the Electric Animals Festival, which streamlined registration and allowed for better tracking of attendees across multiple events.
2. Customized Onboarding and Project Management
As the project lead, we oversaw the development of customized applications, including:
- eWallet and Loyalty Programs: Attendees could pre-load eWallets and loyalty points for purchases.
- Self-Registration UID Selector: Users could choose their unique identifier for ticketing and RFID wristbands.
- Handheld Tablets for VIP Service: We introduced handheld POS systems for VIP tables, enabling faster transactions and pre-printed receipts.
3. POS & Cashless System Development
We designed a closed loop RFID POS setup for the Electric Animals Festival and Utopia Bar, which allowed for:
- ₡9 Million ($14,500) in new revenue.
- An average attendee spend of ₡10,000 ($16).
- Pre-loadable eWallets for artists, staff, and attendees to facilitate seamless purchases during the event.
The solution also included QR code signage for self-service eWallet recharges and the ability to reconcile third-party credit card terminal charges automatically.
4. Knowledge Center and Event SOP Development
We developed comprehensive Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), including a Knowledge Center for on-site training of event staff. This ensured that everyone was well-versed in the event systems, reducing errors and optimizing workflow efficiency.
5. Insights for Improved UX/UI
Our team provided detailed recommendations to improve both attendee and staff experiences:
- Enhanced order flows for bars, including pre-printing order receipts for faster service.
- Improved staff and attendee UX/UI through the integration of handheld tablets, better signage, and automated system workflows.
- Seamless integration of IoT devices, including Raspberry Pi, Authorize.net, PayPal, and ticketing API/webhooks.
---
Results
Through our collaborative efforts and a focus on digital transformation, Electric Animals Festival and Utopia Bar achieved impressive results:
- $80,620 in new business across both the festival and bar operations.
- ₡9 Million ($14,500) in new revenue generated from the implementation of the RFID POS system at Electric Animals Festival.
- An average spend of ₡10,000 ($16) per attendee, thanks to the seamless cashless transaction system.
- A successful 1.6 million impressions generated through video content that was integrated with ticketing and access control promotions.
- A press release distributed to over 500 outlets, raising awareness and driving ticket sales.
- Streamlined onboarding and deployment of customized event management solutions that drastically reduced wait times and improved the attendee experience.
---
Key Takeaways
1. End-to-End Platform Development: We successfully deployed a comprehensive system that covered every aspect of event management—from ticketing and access control to POS and cashless payments.
2. Increased Operational Efficiency: The integration of automated systems for event management allowed for smoother operations, reducing the time needed for reconciliations and cash management.
3. Improved Attendee Experience: The seamless integration of cashless payments, RFID technology, and a well-thought-out user interface significantly enhanced the attendee experience, leading to higher engagement and increased spending.
4. Collaboration for Success: Working closely with both the festival organizers and venue operators, as well as leveraging custom IoT solutions, we delivered a scalable and efficient solution.
---
Conclusion
Our work with Electric Animals Festival and Utopia Bar showcases the transformative power of integrating cutting-edge digital systems into the event management space. By combining our expertise in marketing staffing and technical consultation, we helped them streamline operations, improve user experience, and drive new business growth across multiple venues and events. This digital transformation provides a strong foundation for future events and continued revenue growth.
Project Notes:
Built 2 projects adding $80,620 in new business servicing experiences with suite of platforms: ticketing, registration (QR/RFID), access control (cred, fulfillment), & POS/cashless (open/closed loop) hardware accessories & software while developing SOPs like a Knowlege center for on site training. Developed event bible for a venue and festival. Launched subdomain and multi-company/location platform for a Costa Rican techno event producer, premier club in San Jose, and globally renown record label. Provided vital insights on features & functionalities related to a better UX/UI for staff/POS staff & attendees during the initial development phases of their suite of microservices
Onboarding efforts and Project lead for customized applications & their development, including eWallet and Loyalty program, self registration UID selector, online ticket type registration and purchase, Order flow for bar, handheld tablets for VIP, pre-print order receipts, pre-load artists eWallet and credit or assign by tag, QR code signage for self service online recharging of eWallets, ability to automatically reconcile third party credit card terminal charges and end of manager session cash reconciliation.
Assisted in deployment & management of IoT, registration and cashless solutions on site. Project manager for event management platform responsible for ₡9 Million in new revenue, developed a closed loop RFID POS setup w/ an avg spend per attendee of ₡10K & implemented an all-in-one ticketing, registration, creds, IoT, & POS platform at Electric Animals Fest, & Club Utopia. Raspberry Pi, Authorize.net, Paypal, Ticketing API/Webhook,
