Project summary

Client: Business Design Centre (BDC)
Industry: Events & Exhibitions
Project: Event Management System
Platform: Custom Web Application

The client

The Business Design Centre (BDC) is one of London’s leading exhibition and conference venues, hosting hundreds of trade shows, exhibitions and business events each year.

Managing these events requires coordination between organisers, exhibitors, venue staff and suppliers. BDC wanted to replace its ageing Online Event Manager (OEM) with a modern platform that would improve the experience for exhibitors while providing administrators with a powerful event management system capable of supporting future growth.

PilotBean worked with BDC to design and develop a bespoke Event Management System that would gradually replace the legacy platform while allowing both systems to operate alongside each other during the transition.

Services provided:

• Discovery & Technical Consultancy
• UX & User Experience Design
• Web Application Development
• Administration Portal Development
• Exhibitor Portal Development
• Event & Exhibitor Management
• E-commerce Integration
• Third-party Systems Integration
• Data Migration
• Ongoing Development & Support

The challenge

BDC’s existing event management platform had become increasingly difficult to evolve and no longer provided the modern user experience expected by exhibitors or administrators.

The organisation required a completely new system capable of managing exhibitions, exhibitors, health and safety documentation, stand information and online purchases, while integrating with existing financial systems and allowing a phased migration away from the legacy application.

Because existing events were still in progress, the new platform also needed to operate alongside the existing system until all live exhibitions had been completed, reducing operational risk during migration.

The solution

PilotBean designed and developed a bespoke Event Management System comprising a public website, an Exhibitor Portal and a comprehensive Administration Portal, each designed around the workflows of different user groups.

Following an initial discovery phase, the project was delivered using an Agile development methodology, allowing functionality to be released in planned iterations while incorporating continuous stakeholder feedback throughout development.

A modern exhibitor experience

The new Exhibitor Portal provides a self-service platform where exhibitors can manage every aspect of their event participation.

Users can register online, manage their account, complete mandatory health and safety documentation, upload stand plans, purchase additional services and receive invoices through an intuitive, mobile-friendly interface.

The portal significantly reduces administrative overhead while providing exhibitors with a far more streamlined digital experience than the legacy system.

Powerful administration tools

A dedicated Administration Portal gives venue staff complete control over exhibitions, exhibitors and event preparation.

Administrators can create new exhibitions, invite exhibitors, manage products and services, upload compliance documentation and oversee event information from a central dashboard.

By consolidating these workflows into a single application, the platform improves operational efficiency while giving staff greater visibility across every exhibition.

Integrated e-commerce and financial systems

The application allows exhibitors to purchase additional stand services directly through the portal.

Purchases are processed through an integrated payment gateway before automatically creating invoices within the client’s financial management system, reducing manual administration and ensuring financial records remain synchronised across systems.

Built for a seamless migration

Replacing a mission-critical business application required careful planning to minimise disruption.

PilotBean developed migration tools to transfer existing exhibitor accounts and product information while allowing the legacy platform and the new Event Management System to run in parallel throughout the transition period.

This phased approach enabled new exhibitions to be managed within the new platform while existing events continued uninterrupted until completion.

Agile delivery for a complex platform

Rather than attempting to deliver every feature in a single release, PilotBean adopted an iterative development approach.

Beginning with an in-depth discovery phase, functionality was prioritised into a series of development iterations covering website development, administration tools, exhibitor management, e-commerce, financial integration and migration activities.

This approach enabled stakeholders to review working software throughout the project, reducing risk while ensuring the solution continued to evolve around real-world business requirements.

The outcome

The new Event Management System provides the Business Design Centre with a scalable digital platform capable of supporting exhibitions from initial planning through to exhibitor management, online purchasing and event delivery.

By replacing an ageing legacy application with a modern, integrated web platform, BDC benefits from improved operational efficiency, reduced administration and a significantly enhanced experience for exhibitors and event organisers alike.

The modular architecture and Agile delivery model also provide a strong foundation for future enhancements as business requirements continue to evolve.