SF Connexion

The convention's public website and, behind it, the back office for the whole organization: exhibitors, volunteers, finances, content and support. Each team works in it with its own access.

Client
A science fiction and fantasy convention in Colmar, France, run by a nonprofit.
Delivered
Public website, back office, exhibitor portal, emails and PDF documents
Live at
sf-connexion.fr (opens in a new tab)
Their website
The sf-connexion.fr home page on a phone
Their back office, recreated in English
  • 55management screens
  • 8teams, each with its own access
  • 30+emails sent by the platform

The need

Three forms, a tracking spreadsheet and reminders sent by hand, for nearly 200 exhibitors and about a hundred volunteers. The organization wanted a single tool where each team finds its own work, and where repetitive tasks take care of themselves.

What I built

  • Exhibitors

    Online application with a booth estimate, application review, documents to approve, internal notes, booth number, then publication on the website.

  • Finances

    Numbered invoices sent as PDFs, payments by check, bank transfer or cash, security deposits, due dates, reminders and exports.

  • Volunteers

    Sign-ups, teams and roles, a schedule generated from everyone's availability and then fine-tuned by hand, meals, t-shirts, transportation and lodging.

  • Website content

    Guests, program, partners, news and ticketing are updated from the back office. Guest itineraries come out in both French and English.

  • Dashboard

    What's waiting for each person, sorted by urgency, with the right button: review, remind, send. Then each team's key numbers.

  • Access and support

    Eight teams, each limited to its own modules. Sign-in with a code sent by email, no password. The team's requests land in my tracking tool.

An exhibitor application, from the website to the back office

  • On the website
  • Automatic
  • In the back office
  1. On the website

    The exhibitor picks a category and builds their booth. The estimate updates with every option.

  2. Automatic

    They get a confirmation email. The exhibitor team gets an alert.

  3. In the back office

    The application shows up at the top of the list, with the price already filled in from the estimate.

  4. In the back office

    The team accepts it. The decision email goes out, and the exhibitor portal asks for the required documents.

  5. In the back office

    The treasurer generates the invoice in one click. It goes out as a PDF, with its due date.

  6. Automatic

    Reminders go out on their own. As soon as the booth is paid for, the application switches to “Paid.”

  7. In the back office

    One click publishes the exhibitor on the website, with their booth number, if they've agreed to it.

What happens on its own

  • Booth pricing is calculated while the form is being filled in, based on the organization's rate sheet.
  • Every morning, due dates are checked: a reminder goes out a week before, then the day after the due date and every week until the invoice is paid.
  • Missing or rejected documents are requested again every week.
  • The volunteer schedule is generated from everyone's availability and preferences, without ever putting someone in two places at once.
  • A week before the event, volunteers are asked to confirm they're coming.
  • Three months after each edition, personal data is deleted.

After launch

The back office's support is wired to my own tool: a ticket opened by their team lands with me, and my reply comes straight back into their back office.

How support works

Under the hood

Figures counted in the project's code.

  • 56database tables
  • 116data access rules
  • 59automated test files
  • Next.js
  • React
  • TypeScript
  • Supabase
  • PostgreSQL
  • Resend
  • Vercel

What could run on its own in your business?

Tell me how you work. I'll tell you what software can take off your plate, and what it would cost.

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