Why EventFlow and Smart Venue Only Work Together
In the practice of modern event formats, a recurring pattern emerges: While individual digital tools and technologies generally function well and fulfill their specific tasks efficiently, problems often occur in the overall process. These difficulties arise because the integration of the various tools is often inadequate. Consequently, the effectiveness of the entire event suffers as individual systems or applications may not work seamlessly together. This can result in participants and organizers alike experiencing frustration as they attempt to coordinate the different parts of the event experience and unify them into a coherent whole.
Ticketing, admission, payment, content, visitor guidance, and follow-up are often considered in isolated systems. The result is media disruptions, manual workarounds, and low controllability. This is precisely where it becomes clear why EventFlow and the Smart Venue Template should not be considered independently of each other.
Both systems solve different levels – and are therefore dependent on each other.
1. Two Systems, Two Levels – One Goal
EventFlow: Process and State Logic
EventFlow is an indispensable tool that forms the operational backbone of event management in the powerful Smartstore platform, enabling efficient planning, execution, and follow-up of events:
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Definition of events (time, location, capacity, type)
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Linking with products (tickets)
- Pre-sale of credits (wallet)
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Creation and management of individual ticket codes (QR)
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Guest lists, check-in status, reminder emails
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Trackable states before, during, and after the event
EventFlow consistently answers the question:
“Who is allowed to use what and when?”
What EventFlow deliberately does not do:
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Guide visitors
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Explain contexts
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Orchestrate experiences
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Visually or narratively structure interactions
Smart Venue Template: Experience, Context, and Control Level
The Smart Venue Template is not just a mere template, it does not serve as a classic template, but rather offers a comprehensive procedural structure that is situated above the usual event logic. The central focus of this template lies in the following aspects:
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Dynamic storytelling instead of static pages
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Context-dependent delivery of content
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Visitor guidance along real events
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Linking content, interaction, and transaction
The Smart Venue Template answers the other equally central question: “What does the visitor see, experience, and do – at exactly this moment?”
2. The Dependency: Why One Cannot Scale Without the Other
EventFlow Without Smart Venue
A clean backend process without a well-thought-out and effective frontend structure can lead to various challenges and inefficiencies that negatively impact the user experience. A frontend design that is not optimally designed or integrated can limit the performance of the backend and fail to deliver the desired results. A harmonious alignment between frontend and backend is essential to ensure that all processes run smoothly and provide users with seamless access to desired functions and information:
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Isolated event pages without narrative
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Ticket purchase without dramatic embedding
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Functional but emotionless access
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Low conversion and interaction rate
In short: EventFlow functions – but only technically.
Smart Venue Without EventFlow Plug-in
The reverse is also true:
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Storytelling without reliable process data remains superficial
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Interactions without state logic are not controllable
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Personalization without ticket, time, and status information is random
In short: Smart Venue works – but without substance.
3. The Integrated Workflow: From Visitor to Participant
Only when all elements and actors work together does a harmonious, closed process emerge that is effective and efficient. Additionally, other workflows, processes, or modules developed by our software are naturally used, adding a completely new note to the whole:
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EventFlow defines events, capacities, access logic
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Smart Venue Template stages the event as an experience path
(Anticipation → Information → Booking → Participation → Aftereffect) -
Ticket purchase creates states, not static confirmations
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QR-, NFC- or Wallet-based interactions access the same logic
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Check-in, Flex-POS, SoftPOS, and Wallet are not standalone solutions, but part of a system
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After the event, the visitor remains addressable, analyzable, and reusable
The event is thus not only conducted but operated.
4. Smart Venue + EventFlow + Wallet: The Operational Consequence
The Smart Venue Template also forms the structural basis for Smartstore Wallet. This template makes it possible to create a seamless and efficient infrastructure tailored to the needs of modern, digital trading platforms. It integrates various functions and technologies to provide an optimal environment for both users and developers:
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A central visitor and credit account
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Connection of ticket, access, payment, discount, and loyalty
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Consistent billing, reporting, and refunding
EventFlow provides the temporal and logical order, Smart Venue the situational and narrative control.
Without EventFlow, the wallet wouldn't know when something applies. Without Smart Venue, the visitor wouldn't know why they are acting.
5. Critical Assessment: Not a Template, Not a Plug-in – A Paradigm Shift
The central thinking error that many event platforms make lies in the so-called tool thinking:
“We need a ticket tool” or “We need a new theme”
Both fall short.
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EventFlow is not a ticket tool, but a state machine.
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Smart Venue is not a theme, but an experience and control logic.
Only together does a system emerge that is:
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scalable,
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repeatable,
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analyzable
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and economically operable.
6. Dynamization Through Modular Extensions: SmartPWA as Operational Interface
The described process is deliberately open and modular. Its real strength unfolds only when additional modules are purposefully integrated to further densify the interaction level and consistently avoid media disruptions.
A central example of this is the SmartPWA Plug-in. Although the blog post focuses very specifically on the grocery sector, the technical implementation is transferable to all industries. It involves processes that can be used on the phone, without requiring a native app.
SmartPWA acts as a progressive web interface through which all relevant processes are depicted directly on the smartphone – without an app store, without installation, without technological entry barriers. Thus, the smartphone becomes not only a display device but the primary operating and interaction layer of the entire venue system.
For organizers, this means:
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Mobile management of check-in, admission, and status processes
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Use of existing devices instead of special hardware
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Real-time access to EventFlow states and Smart Venue contexts
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Flexible scaling from small events to complex venue structures
Thus, the organizer no longer operates from a stationary backend but within the system itself.
For end customers, this means:
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Access to tickets, information, and interactions via a simple link
- An own MyAccount is available
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Use of QR, Wallet, or NFC functions directly in the browser
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Contextual content in real-time (before, during, and after the event)
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No dependence on app installations or updates
Thus, the visitor moves seamlessly along the entire experience path, never leaving the system.
Systemic Classification
SmartPWA is neither a replacement for EventFlow nor for the Smart Venue Template. It is the operative interface that brings both levels together:
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EventFlow provides the states and permissions
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Smart Venue defines context and dramaturgy
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SmartPWA makes both mobile, immediate, and manageable
Therefore, the overall process is not only digitally depicted but practically usable – right where decisions are made and actions are executed: directly on-site, directly on the device.
7. Operational Reliability: Cash Register Infrastructure as a Critical Success Factor
The more complex an event system becomes, the more clearly an often underestimated truth emerges: Without robust, cash register-based technology, even the best process logic fails in operational operation.
While EventFlow, Smart Venue, and SmartPWA define states, contexts, and interactions, it requires a system on the organizer's side that reliably executes this logic under real conditions – under time pressure, during peak loads, offline capable, and without process interruption.
This is exactly where the next stage of system expansion comes in.
Flex-POS Template: Customized Cash Register Logic Instead of Standard Interface
With the Flex-POS Template, a plug-in has been developed that provides a fully customizable cash register interface for events. Unlike traditional cash register systems, this interface does not follow a generic sales model but the specific logic of the respective event.
Specifically, this means:
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Operating interfaces adapted to EventFlow states
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Dynamic products, prices, and permissions depending on the event phase
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Reduction of cash register operation to the absolute necessary
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Minimization of error sources at high throughput
Thus, the cash register is not seen as a sales device but as a process-critical control instrument within the event.
Hardware Abstraction: Scalability Only with Professional Cash Register Devices
Another crucial point is hardware independence. In order to be able to map events of various sizes, access to different professional cash register devices is imperative – from mobile handhelds to stationary terminals.
For this reason, the hardware connection is carried out in cooperation with SUNMI, one of the internationally leading providers of cash register-based event and retail hardware.
SUNMI is, among other things, the main supplier for large-scale platforms such as Lieferando and stands for:
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Industry-proven POS hardware
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High failure safety in continuous operation
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Scalable device classes for different usage scenarios
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International availability and support structures
By integrating this hardware, a system is created that is not only conceptually coherent but also physically robust.
Systemic Consequence
Flex-POS Template and SUNMI Hardware close the last operational gap:
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EventFlow defines what can be sold
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Smart Venue explains why it is relevant
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SmartPWA enables mobile interaction
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Flex-POS + Hardware ensure that the process works in the real world
Thus, it becomes clear: A venue system is only complete when backend logic, experience management, and cash register technology are conceived as equally important parts of an overall system.
Without this level, digitization remains theoretical. With it, it becomes operational.
8. Payment Logic as a Strategic Lever: Tap-to-Pay and Wallet as System Core
An aspect often underestimated when scaling events to a truly high level is the payment method itself. It is not just an operational process but a central design element of the entire experience.
For this reason, the system consistently relies on the tap-to-pay principle. Modern, contactless payment methods make it possible to process payments independently of location, flexibly, and software-based – without being dependent on classic hardware payment terminals.
Tap-to-Pay allows:
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Payments directly via mobile devices
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Flexible usage locations within the venue
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Lower hardware complexity
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Seamless integration into existing process logic
In combination with common methods like Apple Pay or Google Pay, the payment process becomes second nature to the guest – quick, familiar, and frictionless. But as important as these technologies are: They are only the foundation, not the actual differentiation.
The Wallet: The Decisive Step Beyond Payment Processing
The real qualitative leap comes through an additional, Smartstore-own process: the Wallet Plug-in.
This wallet extends the payment logic by an internal money and authorization space within the event. Instead of viewing individual payments in isolation, all monetary movements within an event are systemically bundled.
Specifically, the wallet enables:
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Fully cashless events
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Processing without EC or credit cards in operational operations
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The use of NFC-capable devices for cash inflow and outflow
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Linking payment, access, consumption, and authorization
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Deferred billing – at the end or after the event
The guest no longer interacts with individual payment points but with a consistent, personal credit system.
Systemic Significance
Thus, the role of payment changes fundamentally:
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Payment is no longer an isolated act, but part of a state
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Consumption, access, and interaction follow the same logic
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Refunds, evaluations, and subsequent accounting are structurally foreseen
In connection with EventFlow, Smart Venue, SmartPWA, and Flex-POS, the Wallet becomes the quiet system core that holds all processes together.
Without Wallet, Tap-to-Pay remains efficient. With Wallet, it becomes controllable, analyzable, and strategic usable. And it is precisely this difference that determines whether an event is technically modern – or actually operated at the highest level.
9. Horizontal Scaling and Security: Operational Security Under Extreme Conditions
By the time of major events, dry runs, or high-profile mass events, it becomes clear whether a system merely functions or is truly operationally secure. Two factors are crucial here: the ability to confidently handle extreme load spikes and the protection of the infrastructure against targeted external attacks.
Horizontal Scaling for Peak Loads at Major Events
Large events do not generate a linear but a abrupt load distribution. Typical load peaks occur, for example:
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During simultaneous ticket sales or releases
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During admission within narrow time slots
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During breaks in the catering and merchandising area
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During accompanying marketing or media actions
To reliably handle such situations, Smartstore relies on a dynamically scalable cloud operating model, automatically providing additional capacities without interruption.
Why Horizontal Scaling is the Right Approach
Modern cloud architectures prefer horizontal scaling over classic vertical models:
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Vertical scaling (more performance per server) is expensive, limited, and often associated with downtime.
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Horizontal scaling distributes the load across several parallel instances that can be flexibly added or removed.
The decisive advantage: After the peak load subsides, unneeded resources are automatically reduced – without unnecessary costs and without manual intervention.
Cloud Operation on Demand
Smartstore supports operation in Microsoft Azure but can also be operated in any other cloud or hybrid infrastructure preferred by the organizer.
The resulting advantages are clear:
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High cost-efficiency through pay-as-you-go
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Maximum flexibility with changing event sizes
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Fast responsiveness to unexpected load spikes
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No upfront investments in static hardware
This approach ensures that even with extreme access numbers, performance and stability are maintained.
Major Events and Dry Runs Targeted by Cyber Attacks
As digitization grows, so does the attack surface. Especially dry runs, pre-events, and major events are increasingly the focus of targeted cyber attacks – be it for sabotage, data acquisition, or image damage.
Areas especially affected:
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IT infrastructures of event locations with heterogeneous networks
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Organization and partner data, such as billing or access logic
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Visitor data processed via QR codes, wallets, WLANs, or mobile devices
Security Architecture Instead of Individual Measures
To counter these risks, Smartstore relies on established security standards, a clear separation of system levels, and operation on trusted infrastructure.
In collaboration with Microsoft and Sogeti, security concepts are implemented covering aspects such as:
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Secure cloud and network architectures
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Controlled access and permission systems
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Protection of sensitive visitor and transaction data
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Preparation against targeted attacks and load abuse
Security is not understood as an additional function but as an integral part of the system design.
One-Stop-Shop for the Smart Venue
Especially under these conditions, the advantage of a central, integrated system becomes apparent. Smartstore unites event logic, experience management, payment, POS, wallet, scaling, and security in a single platform.
With Smartstore, organizers have access to one of the fastest cross-platform open-source composable commerce solutions in the ASP.NET environment – designed for cloud operation, peak loads, and security-critical scenarios.
The result is not just an event system, but a highly available, scalable, and resilient operating infrastructure. And these characteristics determine whether major events are planned under ideal conditions – or successfully operated under real conditions.
Conclusion: From Individual Tools to an Open Event Infrastructure
Analyzing the entire text makes it clear that this is not yet another event tool, but a structural counter-concept to classic, closed event platforms. The focus is on the transition from isolated solutions to a operable, integrated event infrastructure.
EventFlow establishes the necessary order and reliability as state and process logic. Smart Venue translates this order into context, experience, and visitor guidance. SmartPWA makes this logic mobile and immediately usable, while Flex-POS and professional cash register technology ensure that the processes withstand real conditions. Finally, the Wallet not only digitizes the economic level but also rethinks it systemically.
A central, previously implicit point becomes particularly relevant: All these components are part of Smartstore – and Smartstore is an open-source system.
This openness is not an ideological statement but a architectural requirement for the described model. Only as open source can:
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Individual event logics be depicted without lock-in
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Modules like EventFlow, Smart Venue, Wallet, or Flex-POS be freely combined and extended
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Different hardware, payment, and infrastructure strategies be integrated
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Existing systems be sensibly linked instead of replaced
Thus, Smartstore is not a closed product but an open operating system for venues, events, and transactional experiences. The conclusion is clear: Events can only be operated at the highest level if technology does not restrict but grows structurally with it.
Those who continue to think in closed tools optimize details. Those who rely on open systems build lasting, scalable event models.
Do you have any questions on this topic? Or would you like to send us your feedback? You can reach us via the contact form, by email at info@smartstore.com, or by phone from Monday to Friday between 10 and 16 o'clock at the number +4923153350.