Community Event & Logistics Platform

Helping outdoor community clubs spend less time organizing and more time outdoors.

Web app link: getloopin.club

The Problem

Outdoor activity clubs, from casual running crews to surf schools, regularly struggle with operational friction. Organizers manage events through a fragmented loop of WhatsApp groups, Google Forms, and manual bank transfers. This leads to:

• High Administrative Fatigue: Organizers spend hours verifying manual payments, answering repetitive logistics questions, and tracking headcounts.

• Information Decay: Critical logistics updates (e.g., meeting point changes, weather cancellations) get buried in noisy chat threads.

• Language & Friction Barriers: In international hubs like Porto and Tallinn, non-native members face language gaps when reading event details, leading to drop-offs or first-timer anxiety.

What I Built

LoopIn is a full-stack, logistics-first platform that consolidates event lifecycle management, dynamic multi-party payments, and community communications into one interface. I designed, engineered, and launched the platform from initial UX research to production, creating an "invisible" administrative backend for community leaders.

Key Design & Engineering Decisions

Starting from real workflows

Through interviews with community leaders in international hubs like Porto, I mapped out the complete event lifecycle: pre-event rollouts, live activity status, and post-event engagement. The core insight was that organizers didn't need another internal chat forum; they needed an "invisible" administrative backend that automated financial and head-count logistics while integrating into their existing chat groups.

Automated "Connect Once" Payment Architecture

To eliminate manual link generation for every activity, I integrated Stripe Connect Express into the organizer setup. Using Supabase Edge Functions, LoopIn dynamically creates Checkout Sessions on the fly with price_data payloads, applying a platform service fee (€1.50) while routing payouts directly to the organizer's account. This reduced payment setup time for organizers to zero.

On-Demand AI Translation & Semantic Search

Instead of pre-translating every event into dozens of languages, I engineered a "Just-In-Time" AI translation layer using Supabase Edge Functions and cached JSONB fields. When an Estonian speaker views a Portuguese event, the AI translates the description on demand and caches it permanently for future users. Combined with vector embeddings (pgvector), members can search for events naturally in their native language regardless of the original post language.

Messenger Automation over In-App Discussion

Recognizing through user testing that members prefer staying in established messaging apps rather than using isolated in-app forums, I pivoted away from standard discussion tabs. I designed automated notification webhooks (Telegram/WhatsApp API integration) that broadcast high-priority event state changes (cancellations, route adjustments, headcount limits) directly into club chat groups, keeping information synced where users already communicate.

Testing in live community environments

LoopIn is live in production and actively deployed with community clubs across cycling, running, and outdoor groups. By testing in real-world conditions, I identified key edge cases early, such as the need for instant broadcast alerts via Telegram/WhatsApp APIs whenever weather cancellations or meeting point changes occur.

System Architecture Flow

[Organizer Setup] ──> Stripe Express Onboarding ──> OAuth Callback ──> Profile Saved (Supabase)
                                                                            │
[Create Event]    ──> Dynamic Event Record ──> Edge Function Trigger  ──────┤
                                                                            │
[Member Joins]    ──> Dynamic Checkout Session ──> Auto Fee Split  ─────────┼──> Real-time Dashboard
                                                                            │
[Logistics Update]──> Webhook Event ──> Telegram/WhatsApp Broadcast ────────┘

[Organizer Setup] ──> Stripe Express Onboarding ──> OAuth Callback ──> Profile Saved (Supabase)
                                                                            │
[Create Event]    ──> Dynamic Event Record ──> Edge Function Trigger  ──────┤
                                                                            │
[Member Joins]    ──> Dynamic Checkout Session ──> Auto Fee Split  ─────────┼──> Real-time Dashboard
                                                                            │
[Logistics Update]──> Webhook Event ──> Telegram/WhatsApp Broadcast ────────┘

[Organizer Setup] ──> Stripe Express Onboarding ──> OAuth Callback ──> Profile Saved (Supabase)
                                                                            │
[Create Event]    ──> Dynamic Event Record ──> Edge Function Trigger  ──────┤
                                                                            │
[Member Joins]    ──> Dynamic Checkout Session ──> Auto Fee Split  ─────────┼──> Real-time Dashboard
                                                                            │
[Logistics Update]──> Webhook Event ──> Telegram/WhatsApp Broadcast ────────┘

Outcomes & Impact

• Production Status: Fully live, production-ready full-stack platform.

• Organizer Efficiency: Reduced event setup and manual headcount management time by over 70% compared to legacy form-and-chat setups.

• Active Adoption: Actively used by community activity groups to manage recurring rides, runs, and outdoor sessions across international member bases.