Introduction

I'm thrilled to introduce a new project that I'm a part of: The Great Lace 2025, a distinctive networking retreat rooted in a global alternative fashion subculture that originated in Japan in the 1980s. As a member of the organizing team, my role centers around implementing technology for efficient event management. This blog post delves into our journey of selecting the right ticketing platform, our experiences with Regfox, and the lessons learned along the way.

The Venue and Event

The Great Lace is set in the historic Palmer House Hotel in Chicago, the oldest continuously operating hotel in North America and the birthplace of the brownie. This architectural marvel provides the perfect backdrop for our event, which aims to bring together collectors, creators, distributors, and enthusiasts of this unique fashion subculture.

Choosing the Right Ticketing Platform

With my experience as a technical project manager in events technology and working on projects like Ticketleap and Growtix, choosing a ticketing platform was a task I approached with great care. Both Ticketleap and Growtix, both prominent in the event technology space, were natural considerations for me.

Ticketleap is known for its user-friendly interface and low ticketing fees, and it caters primarily to DIY event planners like us.

Growtix, on the other hand, caters well to larger events and conventions, providing robust tools for managing complex ticketing needs, schedules, and vendor spaces. Despite my familiarity and comfort with these platforms, our specific needs for The Great Lace led me to explore other options. Our event, with its unique blend of intimacy and luxury, required a more tailored approach. We needed a platform that could handle an event of our size while offering financial flexibility and advanced payment options to manage our upfront costs effectively. Additionally, attendee experience was of the utmost importance, necessitating a platform that could provide flexible payment options to our guests.

WooCommerce: A Consideration

Initially, I pondered using WooCommerce with afterpay, given our relatively small attendee size. However, after a detailed analysis, it became clear that the benefits of a dedicated ticketing platform outweighed the potential savings from WooCommerce.These considerations brought me to Regfox, a competitor that stood out for its ability to meet our niche requirements.

Why We Chose Regfox

Event Size Compatibility:

With a maximum capacity of 400, Regfox was better suited for our event compared to larger platforms like Growtix.

Financial Flexibility:

Unlike Ticketleap, which offers limited advance payment, Regfox's policy of not holding onto funds until after the event aligned better with our financial requirements. While Ticketleap offers a Fast Pay program that you can apply for, advanced payouts are capped at $25,000, which will not cover our upfront expenses. Like many small event planners, it's not financially feasible for us to wait for that ticket money.

Attendee Payment Options:

Reflecting the luxury nature of our venue and programming, Regfox allowed us to offer flexible payment options to our attendees, balancing the need for commitment with financial accessibility. Regfox allowed us to give our attendees the option to secure a ticket by placing a 50% deposit, incentivising early commitment.

The Nut Pocalypse

In our efforts to accommodate dietary needs, we added a question regarding nut allergies to our registration form. This question was linked to the iconic Palmer House brownie, which contains nuts. However, an oversight on our part in the excitement of launch day made this critical question mandatory but invisible, blocking early registrants from completing their checkout.

The issue revealed itself at a critical moment – right at the launch of our ticket sales. We rapidly identified and fixed the problem, but the delay caused significant confusion and disappointment among potential attendees eagerly waiting to secure their tickets. This mishap unintentionally created a bottleneck, affecting the perceived fairness of the ticket distribution, especially for those limited early bird specials and coveted VIP tickets.

While this incident presented a challenge, it also unexpectedly contributed to the community aspect of our event. It sparked a series of light-hearted 'I survived Nut-Pocalypse' jokes and stories within our community, particularly on our marketing Discord channel. Despite some initial frustrations, most of the feedback we received was understanding and good-natured, highlighting the camaraderie and resilience of our audience.

Celebrating Our Successful Launch

Despite the initial hiccup, the launch day of The Great Lace 2025 was a resounding success. Our marketing efforts stirred up a great deal of enthusiasm, and the response exceeded our expectations. We sold significantly more tickets than anticipated, highlighting the strong appeal and excitement surrounding our event. This success was a testament to our team's hard work and the vibrant community we're engaging with.

Learning from our Mistakes

Reflecting on the 'Nut-Pocalypse', we learned valuable lessons in event management and technology integration. The core issue could have been prevented by utilizing Regfox’s preview feature more effectively. This oversight highlights the importance of comprehensive testing, especially for last-minute changes. Our quick response to fix the problem was effective, but the incident underscored the need for thorough quality assurance (QA) processes.

In hindsight, a better approach might have been to temporarily halt ticket sales, announce a delay, and ensure a fair and smooth experience for all attendees. This experience has been instrumental in refining our approach to such challenges, ensuring more robust preparation and responsiveness for future events.

Conclusion

Being part of The Great Lace 2025 has been and continues to be an exciting journey. From carefully selecting Regfox to adapting to unexpected challenges, each step has been a learning opportunity.

Looking forward

I'm quite excited about the new Engage app announced today by RegFox. In a market often crowded with expensive and enterprise-focused competitors, it's refreshing to see Webconnex stepping up with what seems like a promising solution for independent event planners and small events. While I’m currently planning to use a Glide app for attendee engagement, I'm eager to consider switching to an alternative that seamlessly integrates with our existing ticketing system.