Type: Internal Project (Open Source)

Purpose and Problem Solved

Zegrac is a comprehensive platform designed to manage event ticketing and streamline the process for both organizers and attendees. It tackles common issues such as ticket fraud, inefficiency in attendee management, and accessibility to a cost-effective solution for small-scale and nonprofit organizers.

Similar to existing solutions like Eventbrite, Zegrac offers flexibility and affordability, making it accessible to a wider audience while maintaining advanced features like real-time analytics, attendee engagement tools, and fraud prevention mechanisms.

By leveraging open-source principles, Zegrac empowers organizations and developers to tailor the platform to their specific needs, enhancing its usability across various event types—from small community workshops to large-scale conferences.

Ownership

Zegrac was developed by Haskade Agency as an internal project and later released as an open-source initiative to foster collaboration and innovation.

Challenges and Pain Points Leading to Its Creation

1. Limited Accessibility for Smaller Events: High fees and rigid structures of proprietary platforms discourage smaller organizers from adopting them.
2. Fraudulent Tickets and Scalping: Many platforms struggle with counterfeit tickets and unauthorized resales, leading to financial and logistical issues.
3. Lack of Customization: Proprietary platforms often limit branding and customization options for event organizers, affecting their ability to engage audiences effectively.
4. Inefficient Communication: Organizers often face difficulties in sending updates or critical information to attendees in real-time.
5. Inadequate Post-Event Insights: Many systems do not provide robust analytics, leaving organizers with limited data to improve future events.

Approach and Solutions

Technologies Used:

• Backend: Django for a robust, scalable backend architecture and Django REST Framework for API development.
• Frontend: React.js for a dynamic and responsive user interface.
• Database: PostgreSQL for secure, efficient, and scalable data storage.
• Messaging and Notifications: Integrated with Celery and Redis for asynchronous email and SMS notifications.
• Payment Integration: Support for multiple gateways (Stripe, Paystack, PayPal) to cater to different regions and currencies.
• Real-Time Features: WebSockets for real-time updates, such as ticket availability and last-minute notifications.

Unique Features:

1. Custom Event Pages: Organizers can design branded event pages, complete with custom colors, logos, and social media integrations.
2. Tiered Ticketing System: Supports different ticket types (e.g., early bird, VIP, group discounts) with automatic price adjustments based on availability or deadlines.
3. Dynamic QR Codes: QR codes generated for each ticket to prevent duplication and ensure security during check-ins.
4. Real-Time Reporting: Dashboards for tracking ticket sales, revenue, and attendee engagement metrics.
5. Group Registrations: Support for group ticket purchases and the ability to manage attendees within a group.
6. Multi-Language Support: Designed for global audiences with multi-language capabilities.
7. Waitlist System: Allows attendees to join a waitlist for sold-out events, automatically notifying them if tickets become available.
8. Post-Event Surveys: Built-in tools for collecting feedback from attendees to improve future events.

Strategies Used:
Agile development allowed for incremental delivery of features, ensuring rapid testing and feedback cycles. The platform’s modular architecture enables organizers to activate or deactivate features as needed, ensuring relevance to diverse event types.

Challenges Faced During Development and Solutions

1. Fraud Prevention:
• Challenge: Preventing counterfeit tickets or unauthorized access to events.
• Solution: Implemented dynamic QR codes that refresh periodically and are validated through encrypted APIs during check-in.
2. Handling Large-Scale Events:
• Challenge: Managing thousands of attendees and real-time ticket purchases without server lag.
• Solution: Used load balancers and caching strategies with Redis to handle high traffic seamlessly.
3. Customizability vs Usability:
• Challenge: Balancing advanced customization features with a user-friendly interface.
• Solution: Developed intuitive templates and wizards for event creation while allowing tech-savvy users to input custom scripts.
4. Payment Failures:
• Challenge: Payment gateway downtime and transaction failures disrupting ticket purchases.
• Solution: Introduced a multi-gateway fallback system and retries for failed transactions.
5. Global Accessibility:
• Challenge: Catering to different languages, currencies, and legal compliance (e.g., GDPR, PCI DSS).
• Solution: Implemented multi-language support, currency conversion, and ensured compliance with global data privacy regulations.

Outcome and Benefits

Zegrac has become a preferred choice for organizers who value affordability and transparency. The platform has been adopted by community groups, educational institutions, and independent creators. Its open-source nature has fostered contributions from developers worldwide, leading to features like advanced analytics and integrations with third-party tools like Zoom and Slack.

Event attendees have expressed satisfaction with the platform’s ease of use and the transparency it offers, particularly in areas like ticket availability and pricing.

Feedback and Results

Feedback from users highlighted Zegrac’s simplicity, robust ticketing features, and transparency as key strengths. Developers have praised the modular codebase and detailed documentation, which have made it easier to extend functionalities.

Some measurable outcomes include:

1. Increased adoption by grassroots organizations that previously avoided digital ticketing.
2. Positive feedback on fraud prevention measures and real-time ticket validation.
3. Contributions from the open-source community have led to faster feature rollouts and improved usability.

Role and Contributions

Haskade’s team handled the complete lifecycle of Zegrac, from ideation to deployment. The team continues to maintain the open-source repository, ensuring quality through regular updates and active engagement with contributors.

Key contributions included:

1. Designing a modular architecture to support various event types.
2. Implementing secure payment processing and fraud prevention measures.
3. Developing intuitive front-end interfaces for both organizers and attendees.

Lessons Learned and Insights Gained

1. Scalability Is Non-Negotiable: Building with high traffic in mind from the outset is critical for event platforms.
2. Transparency Builds Trust: Features like public waitlists and real-time ticketing foster trust among users.
3. Open Source as a Growth Strategy: Releasing Zegrac as open-source not only attracted developers but also expanded its reach to a global audience.
4. Customer-Driven Development: Actively listening to user feedback was key to refining features like ticket customization and analytics.