Bluetrend Technologies
Comprehensive Event Management

During the event planning stage, many details, steps, and tasks are necessary in order to ensure everything runs smoothly during the few hours of the event itself. With high chances of human error, time optimization and streamlining of repetitive tasks is mandatory to ensure a successful event. Over the years, Portugal-based Bluetrend Technologies has been building uingress, a single event management platform that provides helpful tools toassist the several different stages of an event in a simple, complete, and integrated manner. With a single platform, an entire event can be thoroughly managed.From the moment the decision tohost an event is maderight up to thepost-event analysis ofstatistics on attendance, experience and engagement of participants in the event. “uingress is a multichannel platform developed to assist clients before, during, and after the event in all the tasks necessary to successfully organize an event,” states Telmo Lopes, general manager of Bluetrend Technologies. The company constantly updates this event management system in terms of features to fully respond to the needs of those who organize events.

Looking forward and considering the emerging technological advances and trends, Bluetrend Technologies, in the end of 2018, embarked on a project called Ingress Chain, supported by CENTRO 2020 of PT2020 through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The company intended to introduce blockchain technology into the check-in and access control process. This project improved the security, authenticity of access, non-repudiation, traceability, and transparency of the check-in and access control areas. Individual users can trade electronically, share resources fairly and intelligently create value. Through blockchain technology, users can record data and information on a decentralized platform using non-falsifiable records. Data security and individual privacy are guaranteed through digital encryption. The advantages in its application are manifested in the optimization of business processes, reduction of operating costs and increased synergies. The Ingress Chain project takes the check-in and access control to another level by innovating, simplifying and improving the security of the accreditation and entry processes. The efficient performance and cost savings resulting from blockchain technology promotes the emergence of new ideas for economic prosperity and social development.

With Ingress Chain, Bluetrend Technologies responds a whole new spectrum of check-in control at events and access, not just by safeguarding the purchase and sale of tickets but also by ensuring that all status information associated with an access is secured and safeguarded.

Before an event, the platform helps clients manage guest lists, create invitation templates and personalized tickets or badges, communications, and event space management regarding seat assignments. During the event, uingress helps attendees knowing the exact location of the event or a specific session usingmaps. Moreover, the platform has built-in check-in support software that enables check-in tracking, duplicate tickets or badges printing, last minute and on-site registration of new participants, and tracking material deliveries to participants. Clients can welcome their attendees with specific messages or information and take advantage of the multimedia suite to print and/or create photos or clips. The platform also assists with certifications and provides a common chat area for participants interaction. After the event, clients can obtain reports on extensive participation statistics, check-in flow data, on-site registrations information, among others. The uingress platform consists of a wide range of modules and functionalities that function in real-time and allow clients to manage the event effectively at every stage.

Ingress Chain brings a new set of features to uingress- a multichannel platform developed to assist clients before, during, and after the event in all the tasks necessary to successfully organize an event

With the ongoing pandemic causing a significant disruption in the events space, Bluetrend Technologies has accordingly developed many new features to fully support digital or hybrid events with digital streaming and attendees at the venue. Over time, the company has developed new projects and modules, like Ingress Chain, that allow the uingress platform to respond to the needs of events during the COVID-19 phase, such as providing contactless check-in, with the use ofa mobile application, or self-check-in using technologies such as beacons. The platform has provided organizers with a way to collect registrations and even participate in an event without using materials that can result in the spread of the virus. Furthermore, the equipment provided for the check-in lines is fully prepared for constant disinfection without affecting the reading performance. The platform also provides a web app to watch the live broadcast of an event and access the information about the schedule, meet the speakers, organization committee, sponsors, read the news, access documents (like the shared presentations, papers or sponsor info), participate on the live chat or sending questions to Q&A sessions. The uingress platform has been widely utilized in several conferences and events in several locations such as the Coca-Cola All Hands 3- Action for Growth 2018 event in Lisbon, the PI Hackathon - Technological Marathon event, the Lime Conference Coimbra, the 43rd World Congress of the International Society of Medical Hydrology (ISMH) event, the Leadership Summit Portugal 2020, among others.

By using Ingress Chain in uingress, the blockchain module will guarantee traceability and auditability, making it impossible to change any data in the information chain and thus ensuring that the indicated security pillars are maintained. It is important to ensure the security, authenticity of accesses, non-repudiation, traceability and transparency of the entire access control process. Each information transaction is added to the chain of blocks which will create a permanent and unalterable record. If any record needs to be changed, a new block is added to the chain.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, and with the adjustments motivated by the current context, the new set of modules that Ingress Chain brought to uingress allowed the use of the solution in the check-in process of participants in sporting events (organized in full coordination with the organizing entities and the DGS–such as the Football League) and which served as a pilot test to assess the viability of allowing public attendance (and under what conditions) to sports events. Also, to control access to reserved areas, time of access, and to ensure the security of access and information and maintain the privacy and integrity of data, uingress (using the new capabilities offered by Ingress Chain) was recently used in events with tight access control measures such as “The Future of Jobs in the Green Economy: Dialogue with Students” event, that saw members of the European Commission join students in a discussion about the future of employment and its relationship to the ecological transition.

Forging ahead, Bluetrend Technologies will be focusing on expanding its geographical footprint, and the company is constantly exploring new technological advances to incorporate in its solution. “We are always looking for state-of-the-art technology to use in events and access control,” states Lopes. The firm has a team of specialists with over 20 years of experience in designing and developing software for web and mobile platforms. Over the years, Bluetrend Technologies has developed a set of platforms in electronic commerce, payments, events, and process management and aims to continue down the same path.