1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,520
Okay, so let's unpack this. We're diving into the world of event ticketing today,

2
00:00:05,520 --> 00:00:07,360
attendance management too.

3
00:00:07,360 --> 00:00:11,760
Yeah, but we're looking beyond, you know, the usual big commercial platforms you

4
00:00:11,760 --> 00:00:13,040
probably think of first.

5
00:00:13,040 --> 00:00:18,680
Exactly. We're focusing on alf.io. That's pronounced shelf show, by the way.

6
00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:23,110
It's well, it's a system built for event organizers who really care about, let's

7
00:00:23,110 --> 00:00:24,520
say, three key things.

8
00:00:24,520 --> 00:00:30,630
Privacy, right. Security, definitely. And a fair pricing model for attendees. That's

9
00:00:30,630 --> 00:00:31,520
the core promise.

10
00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:35,340
It really covers the whole life cycle, from getting tickets out there to managing

11
00:00:35,340 --> 00:00:38,040
everything, reporting the works.

12
00:00:38,040 --> 00:00:41,320
And what's really interesting, I think, is the philosophy underneath it all.

13
00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:45,720
It's about giving organizers actual control, not just, you know, access to some

14
00:00:45,720 --> 00:00:46,480
software.

15
00:00:46,480 --> 00:00:49,360
Right. Control over their event, their data.

16
00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:52,970
Yeah. And it's aimed at everything from big conferences and trade shows down to

17
00:00:52,970 --> 00:00:53,600
workshops,

18
00:00:53,600 --> 00:00:55,960
maybe even your local meetup group if they need something solid.

19
00:00:55,960 --> 00:00:59,240
OK, hold that thought. Before we really jump into the nuts and bolts, just a quick

20
00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:00,600
heads up for you listening.

21
00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:03,080
This deep dive is supported by Safe Server.

22
00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:04,280
All right.

23
00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:08,870
Safe Server handles hosting for software like this, and they support you in your

24
00:01:08,870 --> 00:01:10,320
digital transformation.

25
00:01:10,320 --> 00:01:14,360
You can find more info at www.safeserver.de.

26
00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:15,600
Good to know.

27
00:01:15,600 --> 00:01:19,680
So we've got sources covering the main web application, the check-in side of things,

28
00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:21,280
even the commercial options around it.

29
00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:23,640
Where should we start? The core promise.

30
00:01:23,640 --> 00:01:24,480
Let's do that.

31
00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:30,150
Let's kick things off with that central idea of alph.io, this philosophy of control

32
00:01:30,150 --> 00:01:33,280
and fairness, because honestly, that's what makes it different.

33
00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:37,470
OK, so first things first, we absolutely have to clarify what open source means

34
00:01:37,470 --> 00:01:39,680
here, especially if you're kind of new to this idea.

35
00:01:39,680 --> 00:01:40,280
Good point.

36
00:01:40,280 --> 00:01:44,680
alph.io is described as free, as in freedom.

37
00:01:44,680 --> 00:01:47,680
It's like that old saying, you know, free speech, not free beer.

38
00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:49,280
Right. Not just zero cost.

39
00:01:49,280 --> 00:01:53,970
Exactly. It means the users, the event organizers, they have the freedom to run the

40
00:01:53,970 --> 00:01:56,080
software when they want, where they want.

41
00:01:56,080 --> 00:01:59,880
They can look at the code, tweak it, if they need something specific, modify it,

42
00:01:59,880 --> 00:02:03,080
modify it and even share their modified versions.

43
00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:04,880
It's about fundamental user freedom.

44
00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:06,880
OK, that freedom sounds great.

45
00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:10,600
But like if I'm organizing a big conference, I'm also looking at the budget

46
00:02:10,600 --> 00:02:11,880
spreadsheet, right?

47
00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:15,080
If the code's free, what's the catch?

48
00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:17,680
Is it actually zero cost for my event?

49
00:02:17,680 --> 00:02:20,280
That's a really important question and a fair one.

50
00:02:20,280 --> 00:02:22,280
The sources we looked at are pretty clear on this.

51
00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:26,280
They say basically open source does not mean free of charge.

52
00:02:26,280 --> 00:02:27,280
Ah, OK.

53
00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:32,360
So while you're not paying a license fee like you would for proprietary software,

54
00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:35,480
running any serious system takes resources.

55
00:02:35,480 --> 00:02:39,080
Think about the developers, the community maintaining it, improving it.

56
00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:40,480
Their time isn't free.

57
00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:43,280
Right, someone's got to keep the lights on, develop new features.

58
00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:47,850
Precisely, so financial contributions, sponsorships, they're pretty essential to

59
00:02:47,850 --> 00:02:50,080
keep the whole thing healthy and moving forward.

60
00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:54,080
So the deal is you get the freedom, you avoid getting locked into one vendor.

61
00:02:54,080 --> 00:02:59,000
But you or maybe your hosting provider like Safe Server need to chip in somehow,

62
00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:01,680
either with time or money, to keep it stable.

63
00:03:01,680 --> 00:03:03,280
That actually sounds healthier.

64
00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:04,280
It really is.

65
00:03:04,280 --> 00:03:08,880
And this idea feeds right into that core value for the organizer.

66
00:03:08,880 --> 00:03:09,880
Fairness.

67
00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:13,880
The big win here is the organizer keeps total control over their event.

68
00:03:13,880 --> 00:03:19,000
And crucially, they keep their attendees' data away from those massive commercial

69
00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:19,880
ticketing companies.

70
00:03:19,880 --> 00:03:23,280
Which means no sneaky data mining.

71
00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:25,080
Less chance of that, for sure.

72
00:03:25,080 --> 00:03:29,580
And it also means they skip those often hefty non-negotiable service fees that the

73
00:03:29,580 --> 00:03:31,080
big platforms slap onto every ticket.

74
00:03:31,080 --> 00:03:32,480
Oh yeah, those can add up fast.

75
00:03:32,480 --> 00:03:35,740
That protects the organizers' budget and honestly probably feels better for the

76
00:03:35,740 --> 00:03:36,480
attendee too.

77
00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:37,280
Absolutely.

78
00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:38,680
Better relationship all around.

79
00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:42,280
Okay, but if you're keeping data safe, you gotta talk security.

80
00:03:42,280 --> 00:03:43,480
Compliance too.

81
00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:47,530
What's alph.io actually doing, like architecturally, to make sure it's not just

82
00:03:47,530 --> 00:03:48,880
free but genuinely secure?

83
00:03:48,880 --> 00:03:49,880
Good question.

84
00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:51,480
Security seems baked in pretty well.

85
00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:53,880
For starters, everything's served over HTTPS.

86
00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:55,880
That's standard secure connections, obviously.

87
00:03:55,880 --> 00:03:57,080
Table stakes these days.

88
00:03:57,080 --> 00:03:57,880
Right.

89
00:03:57,880 --> 00:04:02,280
But they also use a really strict content security policy CSP.

90
00:04:02,280 --> 00:04:05,680
It's like an extra layer of defense.

91
00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:09,320
Basically, it tells the web browser exactly which sources are allowed to load

92
00:04:09,320 --> 00:04:09,880
content,

93
00:04:09,880 --> 00:04:11,680
like scripts or styles.

94
00:04:11,680 --> 00:04:14,080
So it stops dodgy code from running?

95
00:04:14,080 --> 00:04:14,680
Yeah.

96
00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:17,480
Helps prevent things like cross-site scripting attacks.

97
00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:20,680
It's about blocking malicious stuff someone might try to inject.

98
00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:21,680
Okay, that makes sense.

99
00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:22,480
What about payments?

100
00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:23,880
That's always the scary part, right?

101
00:04:23,880 --> 00:04:25,080
Handling credit cards?

102
00:04:25,080 --> 00:04:26,680
PCI compliance?

103
00:04:26,680 --> 00:04:27,680
Nightmare stuff.

104
00:04:27,680 --> 00:04:28,680
Ah, yeah.

105
00:04:28,680 --> 00:04:29,480
Can be.

106
00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:32,080
But alph.io makes a pretty smart move here.

107
00:04:32,080 --> 00:04:34,080
They get easy PCI compliance.

108
00:04:34,080 --> 00:04:38,280
That's the payment card industry standard for handling card info safely because

109
00:04:38,280 --> 00:04:38,480
they

110
00:04:38,480 --> 00:04:41,280
integrate tightly with major payment gateways.

111
00:04:41,280 --> 00:04:42,480
Think Stripe, Mali.

112
00:04:42,480 --> 00:04:43,880
The big trusted names.

113
00:04:43,880 --> 00:04:44,680
Exactly.

114
00:04:44,680 --> 00:04:46,280
And here's the key bit.

115
00:04:46,280 --> 00:04:50,080
No sensitive credit card data ever gets stored on the organizer's own server.

116
00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:52,480
Ah, so it's all handled by Stripe or Mali directly.

117
00:04:52,480 --> 00:04:53,280
Right.

118
00:04:53,280 --> 00:04:59,340
They shift that whole complex risky process of handling and storing card numbers

119
00:04:59,340 --> 00:04:59,480
onto

120
00:04:59,480 --> 00:05:01,680
these specialized compliant companies.

121
00:05:01,680 --> 00:05:01,880
Yeah.

122
00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:06,480
So the organizer basically sidesteps the toughest PCI headaches automatically.

123
00:05:06,480 --> 00:05:08,280
It's like outsourcing the security risk.

124
00:05:08,280 --> 00:05:09,580
OK, that is smart.

125
00:05:09,580 --> 00:05:12,280
Keep the open source core lean and secure.

126
00:05:12,280 --> 00:05:16,380
Let the financial experts handle the really tricky payment stuff.

127
00:05:16,380 --> 00:05:20,480
That leads us nicely into looking at the whole Alf.ir ecosystem then.

128
00:05:20,480 --> 00:05:21,980
What are the pieces?

129
00:05:21,980 --> 00:05:23,280
Yeah, it's quite modular actually.

130
00:05:23,280 --> 00:05:26,880
You've got the core web application that's licensed under GPLv3,

131
00:05:26,880 --> 00:05:28,980
which guarantees it stays open source.

132
00:05:28,980 --> 00:05:30,880
And then there are other specialized tools around it.

133
00:05:30,880 --> 00:05:32,680
And the web app itself has two sides.

134
00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:33,180
Uh-huh.

135
00:05:33,180 --> 00:05:34,260
There's the public ticket shop.

136
00:05:34,260 --> 00:05:36,420
That's what your attendees see and use.

137
00:05:36,420 --> 00:05:38,500
And then there's the back office, the admin area.

138
00:05:38,500 --> 00:05:40,300
That's the control panel for the organizer.

139
00:05:40,300 --> 00:05:40,900
Makes sense.

140
00:05:40,900 --> 00:05:43,560
And what if my event's, I don't know, in Brussels or somewhere

141
00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:45,260
with multiple languages needed?

142
00:05:45,260 --> 00:05:46,260
Is it ready for that?

143
00:05:46,260 --> 00:05:46,940
Oh, definitely.

144
00:05:46,940 --> 00:05:49,780
The multi-language support is actually really impressive.

145
00:05:49,780 --> 00:05:54,980
Our sources listed Italian, English, Spanish, German, Dutch,

146
00:05:54,980 --> 00:05:58,300
French, Turkish, Romanian, Portuguese.

147
00:05:58,300 --> 00:05:59,440
Wow, quite a list.

148
00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:02,020
Yeah, and apparently the community keeps adding more.

149
00:06:02,020 --> 00:06:04,680
So it's clearly built with international events in mind,

150
00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:05,740
global scale.

151
00:06:05,740 --> 00:06:08,100
Let's talk money again, payment flexibility.

152
00:06:08,100 --> 00:06:09,900
Super important for selling tickets, right?

153
00:06:09,900 --> 00:06:12,820
People expect options now, not just Visa or MasterCard.

154
00:06:12,820 --> 00:06:13,500
Totally.

155
00:06:13,500 --> 00:06:15,620
And alf.io gives a lot of options.

156
00:06:15,620 --> 00:06:18,380
Through Stripe and Mali, you get the global credit cards, sure.

157
00:06:18,380 --> 00:06:21,340
But also regional biggies like Ideal in the Netherlands,

158
00:06:21,340 --> 00:06:24,260
Bank Contact in Belgium, lots of others.

159
00:06:24,260 --> 00:06:26,460
So local payment methods are covered.

160
00:06:26,460 --> 00:06:27,620
Seems like it.

161
00:06:27,620 --> 00:06:29,420
And beyond those main gateways, it also

162
00:06:29,420 --> 00:06:34,100
supports Revolut, PayPal, plus really useful stuff

163
00:06:34,100 --> 00:06:37,740
like bank transfers and even handling payments physically

164
00:06:37,740 --> 00:06:39,020
at the event check-in desk.

165
00:06:39,020 --> 00:06:40,300
Ah, OK.

166
00:06:40,300 --> 00:06:42,420
So an organizer has real choice.

167
00:06:42,420 --> 00:06:45,540
They can set up a free event, obviously, or paid.

168
00:06:45,540 --> 00:06:47,980
Let people prepay online or maybe embrace them

169
00:06:47,980 --> 00:06:49,700
with a bank transfer option.

170
00:06:49,700 --> 00:06:52,140
Or just let them pay cash or card when they arrive.

171
00:06:52,140 --> 00:06:52,780
Exactly.

172
00:06:52,780 --> 00:06:54,980
It handles different scenarios like corporate bookings

173
00:06:54,980 --> 00:06:56,840
versus individual ticket buyers.

174
00:06:56,840 --> 00:06:58,700
The only real setup needed for the organizer

175
00:06:58,700 --> 00:07:00,380
is they want those online prepayments.

176
00:07:00,380 --> 00:07:02,780
They've got to connect their own Stripe or Mali account.

177
00:07:02,780 --> 00:07:03,260
Makes sense.

178
00:07:03,260 --> 00:07:04,900
They need somewhere for the money to go.

179
00:07:04,900 --> 00:07:05,580
Right.

180
00:07:05,580 --> 00:07:08,140
But the attendee experience is smooth.

181
00:07:08,140 --> 00:07:11,300
No extra registration needed just to buy a ticket.

182
00:07:11,300 --> 00:07:12,500
Nice.

183
00:07:12,500 --> 00:07:14,980
OK, let's switch gears slightly.

184
00:07:14,980 --> 00:07:16,260
Metrics.

185
00:07:16,260 --> 00:07:18,460
Organizers need to know how sales are going,

186
00:07:18,460 --> 00:07:21,060
which marketing worked.

187
00:07:21,060 --> 00:07:23,500
But how do you do that without becoming

188
00:07:23,500 --> 00:07:26,620
creepy and violating privacy rules, especially in Europe,

189
00:07:26,620 --> 00:07:27,660
GDPR and all that?

190
00:07:27,660 --> 00:07:29,380
Yeah, that's a big balancing act.

191
00:07:29,380 --> 00:07:32,740
Alf.io seems quite proud of how they handle this.

192
00:07:32,740 --> 00:07:35,500
Organizers can hook up things like Google Analytics.

193
00:07:35,500 --> 00:07:37,460
And because ticket shop URLs are unique,

194
00:07:37,460 --> 00:07:39,460
you can track campaign success that way.

195
00:07:39,460 --> 00:07:41,140
There's got to be a but for privacy.

196
00:07:41,140 --> 00:07:41,700
There is.

197
00:07:41,700 --> 00:07:43,980
Two key things are apparently enabled by default

198
00:07:43,980 --> 00:07:45,460
for EU compliance.

199
00:07:45,460 --> 00:07:47,740
First, the stats collected are anonymized.

200
00:07:47,740 --> 00:07:50,100
Second, IP addresses are scrambled.

201
00:07:50,100 --> 00:07:51,820
OK, so you get the general trend.

202
00:07:51,820 --> 00:07:53,500
This campaign drove X sales.

203
00:07:53,500 --> 00:07:55,540
But you're not tracking individual users

204
00:07:55,540 --> 00:07:57,780
or storing their full IP addresses,

205
00:07:57,780 --> 00:08:00,380
keeping things compliant with things like the Koopie Law.

206
00:08:00,380 --> 00:08:01,700
That seems to be the goal.

207
00:08:01,700 --> 00:08:03,700
And maybe the biggest privacy commitment.

208
00:08:03,700 --> 00:08:05,700
Alf.io itself, the core developers,

209
00:08:05,700 --> 00:08:08,340
they don't get any usage stats or metrics sent back to them.

210
00:08:08,340 --> 00:08:08,820
Really?

211
00:08:08,820 --> 00:08:10,700
So they built it, but they're not

212
00:08:10,700 --> 00:08:12,980
trying to harvest data from everyone using it.

213
00:08:12,980 --> 00:08:13,500
Nope.

214
00:08:13,500 --> 00:08:16,140
That goes right back to that free, as in freedom idea

215
00:08:16,140 --> 00:08:17,260
we talked about earlier.

216
00:08:17,260 --> 00:08:18,620
It's a fundamental commitment.

217
00:08:18,620 --> 00:08:20,660
OK, that's pretty compelling.

218
00:08:20,660 --> 00:08:23,420
Let's move to the big day, the event itself.

219
00:08:23,420 --> 00:08:26,260
You've got hundreds, maybe thousands, people lining up.

220
00:08:26,260 --> 00:08:27,340
Check-in time.

221
00:08:27,340 --> 00:08:30,620
This is where things can fall apart spectacularly.

222
00:08:30,620 --> 00:08:34,940
How does Alf.io handle check-in, especially at scale?

223
00:08:34,940 --> 00:08:36,580
And what if the tech fails?

224
00:08:36,580 --> 00:08:38,380
Right, this brings us to part three, I guess.

225
00:08:38,380 --> 00:08:41,060
The whole check-in setup and resilience.

226
00:08:41,060 --> 00:08:42,940
They've got two main tools for this.

227
00:08:42,940 --> 00:08:46,340
First, the basic one, Alf.io Scan.

228
00:08:46,340 --> 00:08:46,980
An app?

229
00:08:46,980 --> 00:08:49,100
Yeah, it's a mobile app, iOS, Android.

230
00:08:49,100 --> 00:08:52,140
Probably fine for smaller events, staff checking people in,

231
00:08:52,140 --> 00:08:54,740
or maybe sponsor scanning badges to collect leads.

232
00:08:54,740 --> 00:08:55,460
Simple stuff.

233
00:08:55,460 --> 00:08:57,700
OK, but what about the massive conference?

234
00:08:57,700 --> 00:08:59,260
Hundreds arriving per hour.

235
00:08:59,260 --> 00:09:01,980
You can't rely on just phone apps for that, surely.

236
00:09:01,980 --> 00:09:03,860
The battery dies, the connection drops?

237
00:09:03,860 --> 00:09:04,540
Exactly.

238
00:09:04,540 --> 00:09:08,420
For that, they have the heavy duty option, Alf.io-PI.

239
00:09:08,420 --> 00:09:10,180
PI as in Raspberry Pi.

240
00:09:10,180 --> 00:09:11,380
You got it.

241
00:09:11,380 --> 00:09:13,020
It's basically software and blueprints

242
00:09:13,020 --> 00:09:15,700
they provide to build a dedicated check-in station

243
00:09:15,700 --> 00:09:18,380
using a Raspberry Pi computer and a touch screen.

244
00:09:18,380 --> 00:09:21,860
It's designed for really high throughput, fast check-ins.

245
00:09:21,860 --> 00:09:24,380
It can even print badges right there on the spot.

246
00:09:24,380 --> 00:09:25,820
That sounds robust.

247
00:09:25,820 --> 00:09:28,500
But here's the killer question for any event tech.

248
00:09:28,500 --> 00:09:32,300
What happens if the Wi-Fi dies or the main internet connection

249
00:09:32,300 --> 00:09:33,380
goes down?

250
00:09:33,380 --> 00:09:37,620
You're in a concrete basement venue or a huge metal expo hall.

251
00:09:37,620 --> 00:09:40,980
Flaky internet is almost guaranteed.

252
00:09:40,980 --> 00:09:42,860
The classic event nightmare.

253
00:09:42,860 --> 00:09:45,900
That's exactly what the Alf.io-PI architecture

254
00:09:45,900 --> 00:09:47,520
is designed to handle.

255
00:09:47,520 --> 00:09:48,660
Resilience is key.

256
00:09:48,660 --> 00:09:49,540
How does it work?

257
00:09:49,540 --> 00:09:51,540
So these PI stations, they form a local cluster

258
00:09:51,540 --> 00:09:52,500
when they start up.

259
00:09:52,500 --> 00:09:53,620
They talk to each other.

260
00:09:53,620 --> 00:09:56,180
They download an encrypted list of all the registered attendees

261
00:09:56,180 --> 00:09:57,820
from the main Alf.io server.

262
00:09:57,820 --> 00:09:58,900
Encrypted.

263
00:09:58,900 --> 00:10:01,540
Why is that important if the station is offline anyway?

264
00:10:01,540 --> 00:10:02,420
Security.

265
00:10:02,420 --> 00:10:04,900
Even if someone physically got hold of one of the stations,

266
00:10:04,900 --> 00:10:06,960
the raw attendee list is protected.

267
00:10:06,960 --> 00:10:10,140
The data only gets decrypted right there on the spot

268
00:10:10,140 --> 00:10:12,420
when a valid ticket QR code is scanned.

269
00:10:12,420 --> 00:10:13,140
Ah, clever.

270
00:10:13,140 --> 00:10:14,620
OK, so the really critical feature

271
00:10:14,620 --> 00:10:18,380
here is this cluster of check-in stations

272
00:10:18,380 --> 00:10:22,540
can keep working offline, even if the internet is totally on.

273
00:10:22,540 --> 00:10:23,860
That's the main selling point.

274
00:10:23,860 --> 00:10:25,500
They can operate offline.

275
00:10:25,500 --> 00:10:28,420
And crucially, they still guarantee data integrity

276
00:10:28,420 --> 00:10:29,220
within the cluster.

277
00:10:29,220 --> 00:10:30,200
Meaning?

278
00:10:30,200 --> 00:10:32,820
Meaning one ticket can't be scanned successfully

279
00:10:32,820 --> 00:10:35,540
on two different offline stations at the same time.

280
00:10:35,540 --> 00:10:38,260
They keep track locally, preventing fraud,

281
00:10:38,260 --> 00:10:40,500
and keeping the entry process smooth,

282
00:10:40,500 --> 00:10:42,540
even if the outside connection is dead.

283
00:10:42,540 --> 00:10:43,580
Wow, OK.

284
00:10:43,580 --> 00:10:46,700
That kind of offline resilience is huge for big events.

285
00:10:46,700 --> 00:10:48,060
That's serious stuff.

286
00:10:48,060 --> 00:10:48,540
It is.

287
00:10:48,540 --> 00:10:50,100
And technically, it reflects that.

288
00:10:50,100 --> 00:10:52,420
The project needs Java 17, known for being

289
00:10:52,420 --> 00:10:55,060
stable in enterprise setups, and a solid database

290
00:10:55,060 --> 00:10:57,020
like Postgres 10 or newer.

291
00:10:57,020 --> 00:10:58,500
They also mention it's cloud-ready,

292
00:10:58,500 --> 00:11:01,540
tested on platforms like Heroku, Google Kubernetes Engine,

293
00:11:01,540 --> 00:11:02,500
OpenShift.

294
00:11:02,500 --> 00:11:04,160
It's built to handle real load.

295
00:11:04,160 --> 00:11:06,020
That's great for tech-saddy organizers

296
00:11:06,020 --> 00:11:06,980
who need that power.

297
00:11:06,980 --> 00:11:10,060
But what about the organizer who loves the idea, the freedom,

298
00:11:10,060 --> 00:11:11,660
the control, the privacy, but just

299
00:11:11,660 --> 00:11:14,180
doesn't want to deal with setting up Java servers

300
00:11:14,180 --> 00:11:16,860
and databases and managing cloud infrastructure?

301
00:11:16,860 --> 00:11:18,380
That sounds like a lot of work.

302
00:11:18,380 --> 00:11:18,900
Yeah.

303
00:11:18,900 --> 00:11:19,380
Fair point.

304
00:11:19,380 --> 00:11:20,420
There's an answer for that, too.

305
00:11:20,420 --> 00:11:21,260
It's called Swicket.

306
00:11:21,260 --> 00:11:21,800
Swicket.

307
00:11:21,800 --> 00:11:22,300
Yeah.

308
00:11:22,300 --> 00:11:25,740
Swicket is basically the premium-managed hosted

309
00:11:25,740 --> 00:11:26,900
version of alph.io.

310
00:11:26,900 --> 00:11:28,260
You get all the features, but they

311
00:11:28,260 --> 00:11:30,940
handle the hosting, the setup, the maintenance.

312
00:11:30,940 --> 00:11:32,540
Hassle-free hosting is how they put it.

313
00:11:32,540 --> 00:11:34,820
So you pay a fee, and they run it for you.

314
00:11:34,820 --> 00:11:35,500
Exactly.

315
00:11:35,500 --> 00:11:39,460
Plus, you get dedicated support, email, chat, video calls,

316
00:11:39,460 --> 00:11:41,700
and often access to more advanced features,

317
00:11:41,700 --> 00:11:45,260
like deeper CRM integrations or fancier-led capture

318
00:11:45,260 --> 00:11:46,940
tools for sponsors.

319
00:11:46,940 --> 00:11:48,660
It's the convenience option, built

320
00:11:48,660 --> 00:11:50,020
on the same open source core.

321
00:11:50,020 --> 00:11:51,100
OK, that makes sense.

322
00:11:51,100 --> 00:11:52,900
Provides a pathway for different needs.

323
00:11:52,900 --> 00:11:54,580
So wrapping up, we've really seen

324
00:11:54,580 --> 00:11:58,740
how alph.io tries to balance these powerful, scalable

325
00:11:58,740 --> 00:12:02,260
features, the offline check-in, all the payment options,

326
00:12:02,260 --> 00:12:04,620
with this fundamental commitment to user freedom

327
00:12:04,620 --> 00:12:05,980
and keeping data private.

328
00:12:05,980 --> 00:12:08,300
It really does offer a clear alternative, doesn't it?

329
00:12:08,300 --> 00:12:10,300
If you're an organizer feeling kind of trapped

330
00:12:10,300 --> 00:12:12,060
by the big commercial platforms, this

331
00:12:12,060 --> 00:12:14,300
looks like a genuinely different way to go.

332
00:12:14,300 --> 00:12:15,400
Maximum control.

333
00:12:15,400 --> 00:12:17,100
Yeah, it flips the script a bit.

334
00:12:17,100 --> 00:12:18,940
Instead of the ticketing vendor kind of owning

335
00:12:18,940 --> 00:12:21,420
the relationship with your attendees through their data,

336
00:12:21,420 --> 00:12:25,820
alph.io keeps that relationship directly with the organizer.

337
00:12:25,820 --> 00:12:29,100
Less risk of data getting used in ways you didn't intend,

338
00:12:29,100 --> 00:12:30,540
less vendor lock-in.

339
00:12:30,540 --> 00:12:32,360
The sources kept coming back to that idea.

340
00:12:32,360 --> 00:12:34,620
Open source means freedom.

341
00:12:34,620 --> 00:12:37,660
So here's something for you, the listener, to think about.

342
00:12:37,660 --> 00:12:39,100
Consider all the data you share when

343
00:12:39,100 --> 00:12:42,300
you sign up for an event name, email, maybe your company,

344
00:12:42,300 --> 00:12:43,020
what you bought.

345
00:12:43,020 --> 00:12:44,300
A lot of info, usually.

346
00:12:44,300 --> 00:12:45,100
Right.

347
00:12:45,100 --> 00:12:47,140
Now, if the organizer running that event

348
00:12:47,140 --> 00:12:50,460
chose a system like alph.io, a system built

349
00:12:50,460 --> 00:12:52,820
on the promise of keeping your data under their control

350
00:12:52,820 --> 00:12:55,900
and away from data brokers, how does that fundamentally change

351
00:12:55,900 --> 00:12:57,900
the relationship, the trust between you

352
00:12:57,900 --> 00:12:59,020
and the event itself?

353
00:12:59,020 --> 00:13:00,440
That's maybe something to mull over

354
00:13:00,440 --> 00:13:02,460
next time you click Register.

355
00:13:02,460 --> 00:13:03,180
Good point.

356
00:13:03,180 --> 00:13:05,540
And just one final reminder before we go.

357
00:13:05,540 --> 00:13:08,180
Our deep dive today was made possible by Safe Server.

358
00:13:08,180 --> 00:13:11,660
Safe Server supports the hosting of software like alph.io

359
00:13:11,660 --> 00:13:14,420
and can assist you with your digital transformation.

360
00:13:14,420 --> 00:13:18,300
You can find all the information at www.safeserver.de.