Eventeny cuts Burnet Chamber vendor check-in time in half

The Burnet Chamber of Commerce says Eventeny helped slash vendor check-in for the 60,000-person Bluebonnet Festival from more than five hours to two and a half. The move also replaced a paper-heavy workflow and is now used to manage more than 300 festival vendors and 170-plus Christmas on the Square vendors.

Why it matters: - The Burnet Chamber of Commerce cut vendor check-in time by 50% at the Bluebonnet Festival, a major load off a small events team running a 60,000-person, three-day festival. - The change reduced manual work that once consumed hours printing applications, redrawing vendor maps and preparing paper check-in materials. - The Chamber now has more time to recruit better vendors and improve the event experience.

What happened: - The Burnet Chamber of Commerce moved vendor operations for the Bluebonnet Festival onto Eventeny. - Vendor check-in fell from more than five hours to two and a half. - The Bluebonnet Festival draws more than 300 vendors and tens of thousands of attendees across six city blocks. - The Chamber also uses Eventeny to manage more than 170 vendors for Christmas on the Square.

The details: - Before the switch, the Chamber relied on a paper-based process with printed applications, hand-drawn vendor maps and paper check-in envelopes. - Eventeny now keeps applications, photos and approvals in one online system. - Vendor maps update instantly across the system. - Check-in uses QR codes scanned by phone. - Vendors are staged offsite and released by street and time slot. - Eventeny says the platform combines ticketing, vendor management, mapping, volunteer shift tracking, scheduling and guest logistics in one system. - Eventeny says it has processed more than a million vendor applications. - Eventeny says the platform can save organizers up to four months of manual work a year.

Between the lines: - The Bluebonnet Festival case shows how festivals with limited staff can use software to replace repetitive, paper-based operations. - The biggest gain is not just faster check-in. It is the removal of recurring administrative work that typically gets rebuilt every year. - Kristi Buck, Events Director at the Burnet Chamber of Commerce, said the centralized workflow lets her spend more time finding better vendors instead of rebuilding paperwork. - Buck also said she has already recommended Eventeny to other chambers.

What's next: - Eventeny is highlighting the Burnet Chamber's experience in a new case study. - The Chamber appears set to keep using the platform for both the Bluebonnet Festival and Christmas on the Square. - Other chambers and downtown development organizations may look at similar systems if they are trying to reduce staffing pressure and speed up vendor operations.

The bottom line: - For event organizers, cutting check-in time in half can also cut a much bigger burden: the repeated manual work behind the scenes.