Our R&D approach prioritized real-world applicability over theoretical capabilities, ensuring that every feature was developed with production deployment in mind rather than experimental functionality.
AI-Powered Event Discovery: Helping Fans Find the Perfect Event With Our Ticketing Chatbot
A Softjourn R&D Case Study
ABOUT THE CLIENT:
Project:Event Discovery With an AI Assistant
Industry:Event Ticketing
Client since:2025
Technologies:
GraphQL,
PostgreSQL,
API Integration
SERVICES USED:
SERVICES USED:
The Challenge
Nearly 70% of potential customers abandon ticket purchases due to poor search experiences on traditional ticketing platforms. Customers struggle with outdated filter systems that don't match how people naturally think about events, leading to high bounce rates and missed sales opportunities. Modern users expect conversational, AI-powered experiences similar to other industries, not complex category filters and static search interfaces.
The Solution
Softjourn's AI-powered conversational assistant transforms event discovery through natural language processing and intelligent recommendations. Built on LangGraph technology with multi-provider AI optimization, the system integrates seamlessly with existing ticketing platforms without requiring system changes. Customers can simply ask "What are family-friendly events this Saturday under $100?" and receive instant, personalized recommendations.
The Result
- Improved customer engagement and conversion rates
- 40-60% reduction in operational costs via strategic AI allocation
- Quick deployment with minimal system complexity
- Reasonable infrastructure costs for proof-of-concept
- Enhanced business intelligence and automated upselling
- Revenue growth through improved promotional capabilities
Introduction
The ticketing industry faces a critical discovery challenge: nearly 70 percent of potential customers abandon their ticket purchases due to poor search experiences.
At Softjourn, our dedicated R&D team recognized this friction point and developed a breakthrough solution that transforms how customers discover and purchase event tickets.
Drawing on over 20 years of experience building ticketing platforms, access control systems, and venue management solutions, our research and development center has created an AI-powered conversational assistant that doesn't just improve search: it revolutionizes the entire customer journey from discovery to purchase.
This case study examines our fully functional AI assistant, currently deployed and tested across multiple ticketing platforms, demonstrating measgrurable improvements in customer engagement, conversion rates, and operational efficiency.
Bogdan Mykhaylovych, Head of R&D Department
Think Beyond Traditional Search Limitations
Traditional ticketing platforms rely on outdated search filters that create significant barriers between customers and events. The most pressing issue is the fundamental mismatch between how customers think about events and how traditional search systems operate.
When someone wants to find a “fun date night activity this weekend under $100," they shouldn't have to navigate through multiple category filters, date selectors, and price ranges just to discover what's available.
From a technical perspective, keyword-based search systems fundamentally misunderstand how people express their interests. These static filtering systems don't adapt to user behavior, lack real-time event data integration, and provide minimal support for the conversational interactions that customers increasingly expect across digital platforms.
Modern customers, influenced by AI-powered experiences across other industries, now expect conversational interfaces that understand natural language, intelligent recommendations based on context and preferences, and real-time information about availability, pricing, and venue details.
Most importantly, they want seamless transitions from discovery to purchase without the cognitive overhead of traditional search interfaces.
The core problems that AI ticketing assistants can solve are:
- High bounce rates from frustrated users unable to find relevant events
- Missed cross-selling and upselling opportunities due to poor discovery
- Stengthen customer experience through stronger chatbot functionality (such as finding out food availability, age limits, and more for events)
- Limited insights into customer preferences and search patterns
The Solution: AI Event Discovery Assistant
Imagine a chatbot that doesn't just answer basic customer inquiries but actively helps event-goers find the perfect experience. Softjourn's intelligent assistant leverages AI to process event databases, providing tailored recommendations based on user preferences, search patterns, and real-time event data.
With Softjourn's AI assistant, ticket buyers can get instant recommendations tailored to their preferences. Instead of manually searching through event categories, they simply ask the chat:
- "What are some family-friendly events happening on Saturday?"
- "Show me live music events under $50 near me."
- "Which events are trending in my city right now?"
The assistant instantly processes your event database, cross-references details like genre, ticket price, age restrictions, and location, and delivers a personalized list. This isn't just a better search tool – it's an interactive concierge that guides customers directly to the events they're most likely to attend.
Advanced Search and Discovery Capabilities
The breakthrough in our approach comes from semantic understanding that goes far beyond keyword matching.
When a customer asks for "rock music concert in Minneapolis during the weekend under $25," our system decomposes this complex query into searchable components, applies semantic search using vector embeddings to find relevant events even when exact keywords don't match, processes real-time filters to check current availability and pricing, and uses AI-powered reranking to surface the most suitable options.
Context retention represents another significant advancement over traditional search systems. Our assistant maintains conversation history and user preferences, enabling natural follow-up interactions.
A customer can ask "Show me the price for that first concert" or "Add a date filter: only weekends" without repeating their original search criteria. This conversational memory creates an experience that feels like speaking with a knowledgeable concierge rather than operating a search engine.
Technical Infrastructure: Built for Scale
Our system is built on a robust database foundation that ensures fast search capabilities and secure data handling. The AI understands the meaning behind customer queries rather than just matching keywords, allowing it to find relevant events even when customers use different language than what appears in event descriptions.
Conversation memory is a key feature: the system remembers everything discussed during a customer's session and can resume conversations even if there's a technical interruption. Smart caching technology reduces processing time by recognizing when customers ask similar questions, delivering faster responses while keeping information current.
The system processes event data efficiently, handling large volumes of information while maintaining real-time accuracy. Customers always see up-to-date ticket availability and pricing because the AI continuously checks with the ticketing platform's live data. This intelligent optimization reduces system load by 35% while ensuring customers never see outdated information.
Core Innovation: LangGraph-Powered Conversation Engine
The foundation of this system rests on LangGraph, a sophisticated conversation management framework that enables structured workflows guiding users through logical stages: discovery, refinement, selection, and booking assistance.
Rather than relying on a single AI model, our solution employs a cost-optimized, multi-provider approach that intelligently selects the most appropriate AI model based on query complexity, achieving 40-60% cost reduction through strategic model allocation.
Seamless Platform Integration
The key to widespread adoption lies in our adapter-based integration approach, which enables rapid integration with any ticketing platform through standardized interfaces, without disrupting existing infrastructure. This allows for varying levels of integration depth, from basic data retrieval to full bidirectional interaction.
Our system supports multiple protocols, including REST API, GraphQL, SOAP/XML, and direct database connections, allowing us to connect with virtually any ticketing platform within 1-3 days for basic integration.
This self-contained system requires no changes to existing client infrastructure while providing real-time data processing through direct API connections. Customers always see current pricing and availability because our system maintains live connections to ticketing databases.
Measurable Impact Across Multiple Dimensions
Our AI-powered event discovery solution delivers transformative value across four key areas:
- Enhanced customer experience through natural conversation and intelligent recommendations
- Business intelligence and revenue optimization via automated insights and upselling
- Operational efficiency with minimal infrastructure impact and rapid deployment
- Complete customization capabilities for branding and workflow adaptation
Enhanced Customer Experience
The transformation in customer experience becomes immediately apparent when customers can express preferences naturally rather than navigating complex search interfaces.
Questions about events receive instant, intelligent responses that cross-reference genre, pricing, age restrictions, and location data without requiring manual filtering.
Context-aware interactions elevate the experience beyond traditional search by remembering conversation history and understanding references to previous results. Customers can naturally refine their searches, ask follow-up questions, and explore options without starting over, creating a seamless discovery journey that feels intuitive rather than mechanical.
Beyond Discovery: A Powerful Sales & Marketing Tool
Softjourn's AI assistant doesn't just help customers, it also helps ticketing platforms sell more tickets, promote key events, and maximize revenue.
- Boost ticket sales for underperforming events: A venue struggling to sell tickets for a midweek comedy show can set up a predefined question: "Looking for a fun night out? Check out this comedy event with last-minute discounts!" Instead of waiting for organic discovery, the assistant proactively highlights the event to potential buyers.
- Gain real-time business insights: Beyond customer interactions, the AI assistant provides powerful analytics. Event organizers can ask, "Which events have the most search interest this week?" or "What types of tickets are customers asking about most?" These insights help businesses adjust pricing, allocate marketing budgets, and make data-driven decisions to optimize ticket sales.
- Upsell and cross-sell effortlessly: A customer who just purchased two concert tickets might be prompted with, "Want to make it a VIP experience? Upgrade now for premium seating and a backstage tour." The assistant can also suggest parking passes, concessions, or merchandise based on purchase behavior, creating new revenue streams without additional manual effort.
- Enhance sponsorship visibility: A ticketing company partnering with a beverage brand can use the assistant to organically integrate sponsored promotions. A customer looking for a music festival might see, "This event is sponsored by [Brand]: VIP ticket holders get an exclusive drink package!" turning event searches into direct marketing opportunities.
Operational Efficiency
Perhaps most notably, this AI capability is designed for minimal infrastructure disruption. Initial deployment requires little time depending on the existing system complexity, with reasonable proof-of-concept infrastructure costs, and integration that works with existing ticketing platforms without requiring system changes.
The architecture supports scalable growth through a structured approach. Our Kubernetes-compatible design includes auto-scaling capabilities, database optimization features like connection pooling and read replicas, caching systems, and multi-region deployment options. This modular approach enables clients to begin with a basic implementation and expand functionality as their needs and usage grow.
Customization and Branding
Client-specific configuration extends far beyond simple branding modifications. Conversation flow customization allows tailored booking workflows and promotional triggers that align with specific business models.
Branding integration provides full UI/UX customization through configurable design systems, while multi-language support includes automatic localization and cultural adaptation. Our business rules engine enables customizable approval workflows and event categorization that reflect each client's unique operational requirements.
Implementation Insights: From Concept to Production
Our R&D approach prioritized real-world applicability over theoretical capabilities, ensuring that every feature was developed with production deployment in mind rather than experimental functionality. This philosophy guided our key decisions:
- Technology selection toward proven, enterprise-ready components (PostgreSQL, Docker, REST/GraphQL)
- Cost-conscious multi-provider AI architecture for budget optimization
- Integration-focused adapter patterns for rapid client onboarding
- Modular design enabling graduated scaling based on client needs
Deployment Strategy
Implementation follows a carefully structured phased approach that minimizes risk while maximizing time-to-value. The first week focuses on proof-of-concept development, establishing basic conversation and search functionality. Weeks two and three handle integration phase activities including client platform connection and data mapping. Week four addresses customization including branding, workflows, and business rule configuration. Week five and beyond encompass full production deployment with comprehensive monitoring and optimization.
Technical prerequisites remain minimal by design:
- AWS account with appropriate IAM permissions
- API keys for AI services (OpenRouter, Cohere, Google Places)
- SSL certificate and domain configuration
- Basic container orchestration capability
This streamlined requirement list ensures rapid deployment without extensive infrastructure preparation.
The Future of Event Discovery
Our AI-powered event discovery assistant represents more than a technological advancement: it's a fundamental shift in how customers interact with ticketing platforms.
By combining conversational AI, real-time data processing, and intelligent recommendation systems, we've created a solution that benefits both customers and businesses while demonstrating that advanced AI capabilities can be implemented cost-effectively and scaled progressively.
For customers, this means natural, efficient event discovery that feels like speaking with a knowledgeable concierge rather than navigating complex search interfaces. For businesses, the benefits include increased conversion rates, valuable customer insights, automated upselling opportunities, and enhanced promotional capabilities – all with minimal infrastructure investment.
Looking to Lead Industry Innovation?
As our R&D team continues developing this solution, we're exploring additional capabilities including predictive analytics for forecasting event popularity and optimal pricing strategies, multi-modal interactions incorporating voice integration and visual event exploration, and advanced personalization through machine learning models that adapt to individual user preferences over time.
The ticketing industry stands at an inflection point where customer expectations demand more intelligent, conversational experiences. Our AI-powered event discovery assistant provides a proven, production-ready solution that helps ticketing platforms meet these expectations while driving measurable business results.
For organizations ready to lead rather than follow industry trends, this represents an opportunity to gain competitive advantage through practical AI implementation that delivers immediate value to both customers and bottom-line results.
For implementation details, technical specifications, or deployment consultation, please contact us today.
Partnership & Recognition
