Event setup and visibility

While observing a stakeholder demonstrate how they manually opened events to different user groups (a feature we were about to improve), I noticed something else: there was no way to preview an event without making it live. This meant admins had to either create test events or publish real events before they were ready, neither of which was ideal.

I pushed for a new Pending status that keeps events hidden from the public while still allowing administrators to view them through Preview Mode. This lets teams set up and review events properly before making them visible. Combined with the Scheduled Access improvements we were already working on, administrators now have far more control over when and how events become available to different user groups.

Around the same time, I realised we had no proper cancellation state. Events don’t get cancelled often, but when they do, the process was entirely manual. Admins had to update the site, notify bookers, and handle refunds separately. I wanted an automated and flexible process that handled both the admin side and the public-facing changes. The new Event Cancellation workflow lets administrators cancel events with customisable reasons and messages, and the system takes care of updating the site and triggering the appropriate communications.

Ticket distribution

One of the larger projects this year was rebuilding how tickets are distributed for major events like the BAFTA awards ceremony.

Previously, bookers would download ticket links and send them to attendees themselves. This worked but created security concerns and inconsistent delivery. We built a completely new Ticket Collection Workflow where the system emails tickets directly to attendees. The key was the rules engine: tickets only send when payment is confirmed, seats are allocated, and all required metadata is provided. If any of those conditions aren’t met, the system holds the tickets and flags what’s missing. This was essential for delivering secure digital tickets at scale.

Alongside this, we added batch upload for ticketholder names, so administrators can import guest lists from spreadsheets rather than entering names one by one. We also introduced separate deadlines for cancellations and data provision, giving administrators more flexibility in how they structure booking cutoffs.

Data quality and venue management

Attendee contact validation was something we’d wanted for a while. The system now validates email addresses and phone numbers via the Neutrino API before accepting them. This catches typos and invalid contacts early, reducing failed ticket deliveries and improving data quality across the board.

We separated Venue and Auditorium selection into distinct fields, which sounds minor but makes a real difference when managing events across multiple spaces within the same venue. Administrators can now copy auditorium configurations between venues, saving significant setup time for recurring event types.

Check-in improvements

The check-in app gained seat search functionality. Staff can now view unassigned seats, assign seats on the fly, and search by seat number during check-in. This came directly from stakeholder feedback about the challenges of managing seating at larger events.

User experience updates

Several improvements focused on making the booking experience cleaner for users: The My Bookings page now shows events in chronological order, removes past events immediately after they end, and separates cancelled bookings into their own section. Location filters on the event list help bookers find events in specific cities or venues. The Booking Information page now expands dynamically to show relevant details without overwhelming users with everything at once. The basket now shows ticket count rather than generic “items” and the labelling was updated throughout to be clearer.

Admin and communications

Email Log now shows delivery and open statuses, so administrators can see whether messages actually reached attendees rather than just that they were sent. This visibility was missing and caused confusion when attendees claimed they never received communications.

Events now archive automatically 60 days after ending. Previously, old events cluttered the admin interface indefinitely. The auto-archive keeps the system clean while preserving records for anyone who needs to look back.

What the events platform delivered

The Events platform handles some of BAFTA’s highest-profile moments, and reliability matters. This year’s work focused on giving administrators better control, improving data quality, and streamlining the booking and check-in experience. The result was fewer manual interventions, clearer communication, and more predictable delivery during busy periods.

Like Nucleus, none of this arrived as a single release. It accumulated across the year until the platform felt noticeably different. For a small team, it’s a solid body of work on a platform that has to perform under pressure.