Automate the ticket reservation system

The Marshal’s Office of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship faced a challenge—manual, time-consuming ticket reservations handled by a single employee via email. This led to inefficiencies, errors, and an unnecessary workload. We knew that introducing the right system could make a real difference.

At the Department of Web, we work globally but never forget our roots—Poland and our hometown, Toruń. Supporting local initiatives and government institutions and promoting culture is as important to us as delivering top-quality digital solutions. That’s why we were particularly excited about this project.

After understanding the problem, we designed a dedicated technology solution to make cultural events in our city more accessible and to streamline processes that benefit the community.

Objectives

Our primary goal was to automate the ticket reservation process, making it easier to manage and reducing the workload for staff. Instead of handling everything manually, employees could rely on a system that worked efficiently and without errors.

A better-organized reservation system meant not only less stress for the organizers but also a smoother experience for attendees. Tickets were distributed fairly, and the risk of human error was minimized. The Marshal’s Office could focus on planning engaging events instead of getting caught up in administrative work.

Most importantly, the solution opened up access to free cultural events not only for the residents of Toruń but also for the entire Kuyavian-Pomeranian region, allowing everyone to reserve a ticket easily and without hassle, making cultural life more inclusive and accessible.

Solution

We built a custom ticketing system designed from the ground up to meet the specific needs of the Marshal’s Office. The goal was to create a fast, scalable, and accessible solution that would streamline ticket distribution while ensuring a smooth experience for administrators and attendees.

To achieve this, we used Laravel, which allowed us to design the entire data architecture from scratch and develop a high-performance system tailored precisely to ticket reservations. The front-end is fully reactive thanks to Laravel Livewire, ensuring instant updates and a seamless user experience without page reloads. As a result, system responses are under 150ms, and the PageSpeed score on mobile reaches 95, guaranteeing top-tier performance.

The system includes:

• Automated ticket reservations with separate pools for employees and the public.
• Event and ticket pool management, providing full administrative control.
• Exportable reservation lists for easy reporting.
• Automated email confirmations, reducing manual workload.
• Attendance tracking and a blacklist feature, ensuring fair distribution and preventing misuse.

Because public institutions must provide equal access to digital services, the system was built in compliance with WCAG 2.0 Level AA standards. This ensures support for keyboard navigation, screen readers, and high-contrast modes, making the platform accessible to people with visual impairments and motor disabilities.

Workflow

We collaborated closely with the client’s teams throughout the project, starting from initial consultations and wireframe designs to full implementation and deployment. Every stage was carefully planned to ensure the system met all functional and accessibility requirements.

We tested real-life reservation, accessibility compliance, and system load handling to ensure a smooth and error-free user experience.

Project Challenges

Handling high traffic

Each time a new event was published, the system faced a surge in visitors, putting pressure on the servers. To maintain smooth performance, we implemented advanced caching and deployed a high-performance single-node instance, ensuring fast and reliable ticket reservations even during peak demand.

Government compliance and accessibility

As a government project, the system had to meet strict accessibility and regulatory standards. We ensured full WCAG 2.0 Level AA compliance, making the platform accessible to people with disabilities, including support for screen readers, keyboard navigation, and high-contrast modes.

Efficient ticket distribution

The ticketing process needed to be simple for residents while allowing staff to verify reservations quickly. We designed an intuitive workflow that minimized booking time and streamlined on-site ticket validation, making the system easy to use for both attendees and event organizers.

Results

The ticketing system has met all the client’s expectations and has proven its value in practice. Since its implementation, it has streamlined event management and significantly reduced the workload of staff responsible for handling reservations.

During a recently held event, the system operated flawlessly, managing high traffic during ticket releases without any disruptions. Employees reported that automating ticket distribution saved them hours of manual work, allowing them to focus on more strategic tasks instead of processing reservations manually.

Future Plans

Over the next year, we plan to continue working with the Marshal's Office to improve the system further, considering feedback and adding features to improve user experience and operational efficiency.