Side project turned startup
This project was initially made to comply with the Google User Experience certification requirement - a capstone project. It eventually turned into an attempt to launch it as a startup with a few of my closest college friends. This project was initially called Wedly and eventually renamed to Eventful.
Democratizing event planning
I worked in an events organizing agency before, it blew my introverted mind that my teammates could just come up to businesses and talk to avail their service. I knew I couldn't do what they did. If I try, I want to do this without phone calls and endless scrolling through Facebook groups to find the perfect vendor. This inspired the idea of making event planning widely accessible and democratized. No platform did this, so I wanted to build the first.
Weddings as benchmark
I focused my attention on weddings since these types of events usually demand a wide range of event suppliers. I set myself to understand better how regular folks plan for their weddings and how professional organizers do their magic.
Interviews
The interview explores the wedding planning process of two different approaches. I talked to professional planners and do-it-yourself brides to get insights on what their process is and what problems they encountered. I asked about their initial steps start planning, how they organize thoughts and tasks, including what items are typically listed on checklists. I also included a question on what tools and applications they used to streamline their planning process. I also sought to find out common frustrations and concerns, such as managing tasks and vendor communications, to identify potential solutions or improvements to overcome these challenges and enhance the planning experience.
Professional Event Planners
I made two personas from the interview data. The first is an events coordinator that both works professionally with clients and volunteers to get involved in her friends' events. I found out from the interviews that even seasoned coordinators encounter common problems in the planning process. Issues that can be potentially solved by the right tool.
DIY Planners
The second persona encapsulates the experience of do-it-yourself event planners and the primary market of the platform. I discovered the rigorous effort to pull off an event on their effort. A common sentiment they mentioned was their struggle of looking for vendors because they have zero connections, and that it's hard to make a tasks list because they've never planned an event as big as a wedding. There are a lot of opportunities to solve for DIY planners, but I'm set on solving their primary concern — finding vendors.
Competitive Audits
Part of building a great product involves analyzing what competitors have done and identifying opportunities to stand out. Since there are no local event planning platforms in the Philippines, I reviewed web apps abroad that address similar problems to the one I'm trying to solve. From this audit, I created a report to identify ways to position my platform on par with current players, as well as gaps and opportunities to leverage for a competitive edge.
Value Proposition
I identified features to add to the platform as value proposition to our users. Debora Mara, the professional planner, is centered on collaborative planning, and lists and reminders to manage projects simultaneously. Clarisse on the other hand is focused on budget monitoring, and vendor listings
Wedly
I worked on the branding and the look of the marketing site early on. I used "Wedly" as a nod to the idea a group of work friends and I made. The initial prototype's theme was centered around weddings and how Wedly can turn their plans into reality.
Eventful Philippines
Eventful Philippines is taking what Wedly had and elevating it to the next level. We are not only meeting the needs of wedding planners but also catering to all types of events. Our aim is to make event planning in the Philippines as accessible as possible, making the country eventful in the most literal sense. We also considered how we can empower event vendor businesses across the Philippines. By doing this, we not only help them generate good revenue but also serve the users we aim to assist.
Eventful Vendor Portal
Designed for event vendors to easily market their services on the online marketplace. It has an onboarding flow that have them provide information about their business so the system can categorize their profile appropriately on the site.
Wedding Reception App
Some projects were built to test Eventful's features. These were side projects that can be integrated into the bigger system later. There was a market in the weddings space that demanded an app that helps guests get situated to their table assignment during receptions, so I made a Reception App.
Retreat Check In
Retreats, another type of event that had someone approach the Eventful team to build a tool to manage their guests and volunteers. We helped two retreats accomplish this goal. The dashboard tracks all guests checking in and assigns them to a bus that will drive them to the retreat venue, it also monitors volunteers and guests arriving at the campsite.
Potential realized
There was no doubt that there's a huge events space in the Philippines to tap. The interviews confirmed that, my friends who heard of the idea was looking forward to a launch, and the clients we take in for side-projects was enthused of the tools we provide them. Perhaps with proper funding and a committed team, Eventful can still someday be a real thing. I mean, I already registered the business after all.
Time and effort required
Even though I had such a great time building and pursuing this idea of an eventful Philippines, I decided to sunset the project late 2023 because of opportunities to live abroad. I believe I improved in quite a broad range of technical skills working on this project. I'm excited to use it in future opportunities to come.