Ticket booking for a sports organisation: The Photo Pitch project

About the Photo Pitch project

An international sports organisation approached us with a request related to their media tickets booking process. The problem was that their system made it frustratingly complicated for journalists and photographers to book tickets. Getting to grips with this issue was definitely on the front burner. Named “the Photo Pitch” project, we set out to find a solution.

The challenge: Ticket distribution square one

Our client had an extranet where journalists and photographers could book tickets for some events. Unfortunately the system didn’t allow them to specify the location and seat number. As a result, they had to book their ticket online, go to the venue to collect it from a volunteer, and select their desired onsite location using printed layouts.

I’m sure you already see a few problems with this solution:

• The journalists and photographers never knew where their colleagues from the same editorial office/agency would be sitting. They couldn’t tell what the angle and surroundings would be either. This complicated the booking process severely.
• As they picked their seat manually, it could happen that several people picked the same spot.
• There were often communication issues between the journalists and the volunteers, as they didn’t always speak the same language (or at the same level).

We came up with our suggested solution, with all its features and functionality, during a workshop. Arranging workshops where everyone involved can share their points of view is one of our secrets to success. Recently, we have focused a lot on holding workshops online. You can read more about our approach in the article on preparing and running online workshops.

Our approach to make the system intuitive to use

We created an online visual representation of the venue. Journalists and photographers could now pick their seats online instead of making additional arrangements onsite with volunteers. Thanks to data provided by our client, we configured and developed a system that comprised:

• The number of seats in each sector, blocks and numbers
• Information about potential obstructions and elements that affected vision
• Venue entrance positions
• Marked taken seats and information about any colleagues’ stands and seat numbers

To make this system efficient and intuitive, we had to consider several aspects. For starters, we created our booking system using HTML Canvas. This solution allowed us to draw images in the browser using JavaScript. Seat size calculations were then done based on editor input, specifying how many seats should be available in one sector.

As our dashboard was integrated with our client’s IT solution, it was a quick and seamless process.

Results

The visual aid we built delivered several critical benefits and was well received both by our client and the journalists and photographers:

1. We modernised the system and made the whole process easier and quicker
2. The ticket distribution is now much more user-friendly thanks to the seat selection
3. We solved the problem of assigning the same seat to several people

A proactive team at your service

If you’re looking for a reliable partner who is a great listener and solves your real-life issues, look no further. At NoA Ignite, we specialise in optimal solutions that tick all the right boxes. We work until we find a solution that satisfies all involved parties. Plus, we have experience in the sports industry! :-)

If you want to find out what we can do for you, just drop us a line and tell us a bit about your project.