Digitising a 25-Year Paper Ticketing System
Digitising a 25-Year Paper Ticketing System
Designing a scalable ticketing experience for a high-footfall cultural festival
Designing a scalable ticketing experience for a high-footfall cultural festival
Annotsav is a cultural festival running for over 25 years, attracting 8,000–10,000 visitors daily. Ticket sales were handled entirely through paper tickets at physical counters, which worked for years but became difficult to manage as the event scale grew.
During peak hours (7 PM – 9 PM), long queues and slow ticket processing created operational pressure for organisers.
The organisers approached Ticketsque to introduce a digital ticketing system that could reduce queues, improve operations, and bring visibility into ticket sales.
As the Product Designer, my role was to design a system that could handle high-volume on-ground ticket purchases while remaining extremely simple for visitors and staff.
Annotsav is a cultural festival running for over 25 years, attracting 8,000–10,000 visitors daily. Ticket sales were handled entirely through paper tickets at physical counters, which worked for years but became difficult to manage as the event scale grew.
During peak hours (7 PM – 9 PM), long queues and slow ticket processing created operational pressure for organisers.
The organisers approached Ticketsque to introduce a digital ticketing system that could reduce queues, improve operations, and bring visibility into ticket sales.
As the Product Designer, my role was to design a system that could handle high-volume on-ground ticket purchases while remaining extremely simple for visitors and staff.
Impact
Impact
98.7% of tickets purchased via QR-based WhatsApp ticketing
First-time customer data capture on 45.000 guests in 25 years of the festival
Reduced staff dependency from 30+ to 6 people
Real-time ticket sales & revenue insights for organisers
Result: Organisers could focus on running the event instead of managing ticket queues.
Result: Organisers could focus on running the event instead of managing ticket queues.
Users & Their Needs
Users & Their Needs
Understanding the two primary user groups helped shape the design decisions.
Understanding the two primary user groups helped shape the design decisions.
Organisers
Organisers
Organisers needed a system capable of handling large crowds efficiently.
Needs
Needs
• Fast ticket processing
• Reduced staff dependency
• Real-time ticket tracking
• Reliable settlement reports
• Visibility into daily revenue
Visitors
Visitors
Visitors usually arrived at the venue in groups and wanted quick entry without waiting in long lines.
Needs
Needs
• Fast ticket purchase
• Minimal steps
• Familiar payment methods
• No waiting in queues
Team & My Role
Team & My Role
Role: Product Designer
Platform: Ticketsque Ticketing System
Role: Product Designer
Platform: Ticketsque Ticketing System
Responsibilities
Responsibilities
• Understanding on-ground ticketing challenges
• Designing faster ticket purchase flows
• Ensuring the system remained extremely simple for staff and visitors
• Understanding on-ground ticketing challenges
• Designing faster ticket purchase flows
• Ensuring the system remained extremely simple for staff and visitors
Constraints & Roadblocks
Constraints & Roadblocks
During the initial discussions, the existing digital ticketing approach used by us & most platforms was also considered for Annotsav.
This system typically included:
• Website-based ticket purchases
• Ticket creation through the organiser dashboard
• Sending tickets to visitors after collecting payment through POS
While this model works well for advance bookings, it was not effective for Annotsav because the majority of visitors purchased tickets on the spot at the venue.
This meant staff still had to collect visitor details, process payments, and generate tickets manually, making the process too slow to handle the large crowds during peak hours.
During the initial discussions, the existing digital ticketing approach used by us & most platforms was also considered for Annotsav.
This system typically included:
• Website-based ticket purchases
• Ticket creation through the organiser dashboard
• Sending tickets to visitors after collecting payment through POS
While this model works well for advance bookings, it was not effective for Annotsav because the majority of visitors purchased tickets on the spot at the venue.
This meant staff still had to collect visitor details, process payments, and generate tickets manually, making the process too slow to handle the large crowds during peak hours.
Key Insight
Key Insight
Most visitors arriving at the venue were already comfortable using:
• WhatsApp
• QR code payments
Instead of relying on staff to generate tickets, the system needed to become self-serve and mobile-first.
The ticket purchase process had to be fast enough to handle thousands of visitors arriving within a short time window.
Most visitors arriving at the venue were already comfortable using:
• WhatsApp
• QR code payments
Instead of relying on staff to generate tickets, the system needed to become self-serve and mobile-first.
The ticket purchase process had to be fast enough to handle thousands of visitors arriving within a short time window.
Advance online bookings were very low. The system needed to focus on making on-spot ticket purchases faster, not just improving website booking.
Organisers emphasised that validation should be quick and simple, ensuring visitors move smoothly from purchase to entry.
Large groups arriving at the same time required a self-serve system that could process multiple purchases simultaneously.
Organisers emphasised that validation should be quick and simple, ensuring visitors move smoothly from purchase to entry.
Not everyone pays digitally, so the solution needed to support offline purchases without slowing down entry.
Design Solution
Design Solution
WhatsApp QR Ticketing
The core idea was simple:
Instead of standing in line for tickets, visitors could scan a QR code placed around the venue and purchase tickets instantly through WhatsApp.
QR codes were placed at:
• Entry gates
• Ticket counters
• High-traffic access points
WhatsApp QR Ticketing
The core idea was simple:
Instead of standing in line for tickets, visitors could scan a QR code placed around the venue and purchase tickets instantly through WhatsApp.
QR codes were placed at:
• Entry gates
• Ticket counters
• High-traffic access points
New Ticket Purchase Flow
This reduced the ticket buying process to just a few quick taps.
Visitors could purchase tickets while walking toward the entrance, eliminating long queues.
New Ticket Purchase Flow
This reduced the ticket buying process to just a few quick taps.
Visitors could purchase tickets while walking toward the entrance, eliminating long queues.
Offline Ticket Support
To ensure the system worked for all types of visitors, we also introduced support for offline ticket purchases.
Pre-Printed QR Tickets
Organisers could distribute pre-generated QR tickets that allowed instant entry.
This ensured the system supported:
• Digital-first visitors
• Cash-paying customers
• Large crowd volumes
Offline Ticket Support
To ensure the system worked for all types of visitors, we also introduced support for offline ticket purchases.
Pre-Printed QR Tickets
Organisers could distribute pre-generated QR tickets that allowed instant entry.
This ensured the system supported:
• Digital-first visitors
• Cash-paying customers
• Large crowd volumes
Final Ticketing Ecosystem
Final Ticketing Ecosystem
The final solution supported three ticketing methods.QR codes were placed at:
1. Online Booking
1. Online Booking
Visitors purchase tickets through the event website.
Visitors purchase tickets through the event website.
2. WhatsApp QR Ticketing (Primary Method)
2. WhatsApp QR Ticketing (Primary Method)
Visitors scan QR codes at the venue and purchase instantly.
Visitors scan QR codes at the venue and purchase instantly.
3. Pre-Printed QR Tickets
3. Pre-Printed QR Tickets
Organisers distribute physical QR tickets for quick entry.
Organisers distribute physical QR tickets for quick entry.
This hybrid approach ensured the event could handle both digital and offline audiences smoothly.
Winning the Partnership
Winning the Partnership
During the evaluation phase, the organisers were exploring solutions from multiple ticketing platforms.
Most competitors offered standard website-based ticketing systems, which worked well for advance bookings but did not address the on-ground peak-hour crowd challenge.
The QR-based WhatsApp ticketing concept demonstrated how Ticketsque could solve the real operational problem Annotsav faced — massive ticket demand within a short time window.
By proposing a self-serve ticketing system designed specifically for high-footfall environments, the Ticketsque solution stood out from typical ticketing platforms.
This solution ultimately played a key role in securing the partnership with Annotsav.
During the evaluation phase, the organisers were exploring solutions from multiple ticketing platforms.
Most competitors offered standard website-based ticketing systems, which worked well for advance bookings but did not address the on-ground peak-hour crowd challenge.
The QR-based WhatsApp ticketing concept demonstrated how Ticketsque could solve the real operational problem Annotsav faced — massive ticket demand within a short time window.
By proposing a self-serve ticketing system designed specifically for high-footfall environments, the Ticketsque solution stood out from typical ticketing platforms.
This solution ultimately played a key role in securing the partnership with Annotsav.
Learnings
Learnings
Designing products for large offline events requires different thinking compared to typical digital products.
• Simplicity is critical in high-volume environments
• Self-service systems scale better than manual operations
• Familiar platforms like WhatsApp dramatically reduce friction
• Hybrid digital + offline systems work best for real-world events
Designing products for large offline events requires different thinking compared to typical digital products.
• Simplicity is critical in high-volume environments
• Self-service systems scale better than manual operations
• Familiar platforms like WhatsApp dramatically reduce friction
• Hybrid digital + offline systems work best for real-world events
A Meaningful Outcome
A Meaningful Outcome
For over two decades, the organisers spent every evening of the festival managing ticket counters and long queues. With the new system in place, they were finally able to step away from ticket sales and focus on enjoying and running the event they had built.
A 25-year-old paper ticketing system was successfully transformed into a fast, scalable digital ticketing experience used by nearly every visitor, improving operations, reducing staff dependency, and enabling data-driven planning for future editions of the festival.
For over two decades, the organisers spent every evening of the festival managing ticket counters and long queues. With the new system in place, they were finally able to step away from ticket sales and focus on enjoying and running the event they had built.
A 25-year-old paper ticketing system was successfully transformed into a fast, scalable digital ticketing experience used by nearly every visitor, improving operations, reducing staff dependency, and enabling data-driven planning for future editions of the festival.