Contact

A platform for a worldwide network of local chapters

We built one web platform for a worldwide network of local chapters: members find and join events, coordinators propose them, and the head office reviews, publishes and learns from every one.

The Head of Programs dashboard with proposals waiting on a decision, a coordinator's new proposal form, and a member registered for an event on a phone.
A note on privacy: to protect our client, the screens and recordings on this page come from a demo copy of the platform filled with test data. The organisation, institutions and people shown are invented.
Client
International events organiser
Our role
Specified, designed and built the platform
Engagement
Long-running technology partner
Services provided
  • Custom software development
  • Web development
  • Business process automation
  • Systems integration

Before: a network run by hand

Chapters ran events in many cities, but proposing, approving and publishing them was not yet one digital process.

  1. Proposals sent in
  2. Approvals followed up by hand
  3. Calendar kept separately
  4. Reports collected afterwards
  5. New chapters onboarded one by one

Now: one path for every event

  1. 01Host a spaceAn institution applies to run a local chapter.
  2. 02ProposeThe coordinator submits an event in five short steps.
  3. 03Review and publishApproval puts it on the public calendar.
  4. 04Report backAttendance and outcomes feed the network's analytics.

What the client needed

  1. One proposal workflowEvery chapter proposes events the same way, aligned to the network's six programme pillars.
  2. Clear, fair reviewReviewers see what is waiting and for how long, and every decision comes with feedback.
  3. A public face for the networkA directory of chapters and a calendar of what is on, kept up to date without extra work.
  4. Learning from every eventReports after each event, rolled up into one view of the network.
  5. Room to growNew chapters join through an application instead of a manual setup.

For coordinators

Propose an event in five short steps

The form checks the notice period and saves a draft at every step, so nothing is lost and nothing arrives too late.

The coordinator picks a pillar, date and format, describes the programme and how they will reach people, and submits. The proposal gets a reference number and shows as In review on their dashboard.

For the Head of Programs

Review, decide and publish in one place

Approving the proposal is all it takes to put the event on the public calendar.

The review desk shows what is waiting and for how long. Each proposal opens beside its own conversation with the coordinator, and the decision and feedback go straight back to them.

For members

Find an event and register from a phone

Coordinators see only a member's name and what they do, nothing else.

Members see what is on across the network this month, open an event and register in a few taps. Their events stay together in their own area.

What changed

  • One record per eventThe proposal, its approval, the calendar entry, the registrations and the report stay linked from start to finish.
  • Decisions in the openStatus, feedback and the conversation sit with each proposal, visible to the coordinator and the reviewers.
  • A view of the whole networkAttendance, nationalities, pillars and outcomes add up across every reported event.
  • Growth without setup workApproving an application creates the new chapter and its coordinator account.
TaskBeforeWith the platform
Proposing an eventSent in and followed up individuallyA guided form with a reference number and live status
Approving itDecided, then copied to the calendar and announced separatelyOne approval that publishes the event
Finding eventsDepended on each chapter's own channelsOne public calendar and a directory of every chapter
After the eventReports gathered one by oneA structured report that feeds network analytics
Adding a chapterSet up by handAn application the Head of Programs approves

Why the approach mattered

  • The rules are built inThe notice period and the limits on drafts and open proposals are enforced by the platform, so nobody has to police them.
  • Reviewers see their own regionEach Head of Programs can be scoped to cities, countries or regions, and the database itself enforces it.
  • Members' privacy firstA coordinator sees who registered by name and profession only; other details stay private.
  • Web firstFirst planned as a mobile app, it was built for the web instead: it reaches every member without an install and can be updated in minutes.

Scope of the engagement

This grew out of the same partnership as the event platform: websites first, then the event systems, then a home for the network between events. We wrote the specification with the client, then designed and built every side of the platform, from the public directory to the review desk.

  • Requirements and specification
  • Public website and directory
  • Proposal and review workflow
  • Public calendar
  • Member area
  • Messaging and notifications
  • Reporting and analytics
  • Admin tools
View more of the platform3 more recordings
The public spaces directoryAnyone can find a chapter by city or country and see what it has run and what is coming up.
A new chapter joinsApproving an application to host a space creates the space and makes the applicant its coordinator. It is listed in the public directory straight away.
The whole network at a glancePost-event reports add up to attendance by region, events by pillar, the nationalities taking part and how often objectives were met.
TechnologyWhat it is built with
  • Next.js
  • TypeScript
  • PostgreSQL with row-level security
  • Region-scoped access
  • Real-time messaging
  • Rich-text editing
  • Transactional email

Coordinating a network of chapters, branches or partners? Let’s map how their work reaches you.

Bring the way proposals, approvals and reports move today. In the first conversation we’ll sketch where one platform would save the most back-and-forth.

Let’s talkNext: Event platformView all work