Local Event Finder: An AI-Powered Event Discovery and Booking Platform

Events are vital for strengthening cultural, educational, and professional connections within communities, yet smaller gatherings often suffer from poor visibility and outdated promotion methods. Traditional approaches such as posters and scattered social media posts rarely provide real-time updates or smooth booking options, making event discovery difficult for attendees and limiting reach for organizers. To overcome these challenges, the Local Event Finder platform was developed using the MERN stack. It enables users to search for nearby events, navigate to venues, receive instant updates, and book tickets securely, while giving organizers tools to manage and promote their events effectively. Core features include geolocation-based filtering, secure payments, and real-time notifications. Built with the Agile Scrum approach, the system evolved through iterative feedback and testing. A pilot study showed a 40% rise in attendance and greater engagement compared to traditional methods. With innovations like hyper-local targeting, role-based authentication, and WebSocket-based updates, the platform demonstrates its potential to improve event visibility, streamline management, and deliver a better user experience.