Anyone who has ever organised an event knows that the work starts long before the first guest walks in. There are venues to sort out, vendors to pay, graphics to design, tickets to sell, reminders to send, and about a hundred little things that can go wrong.

Café One wants to make some of that work easier.

The largest and most popular network of co-working spaces in Nigeria has launched Café One Events, a free event platform that helps organisers create events, manage registrations, and sell tickets without paying platform fees or giving up a percentage of ticket revenue. Beyond that, organisers who host events through the platform can also access discounts on Café One spaces, with the flexibility to explore venues across multiple locations.

For Café One, the launch is about more than putting another ticketing platform on the market. It’s about making it easier for people to create experiences, find their audiences and bring communities together.

Kelechi Nwaozuzu, General Manager at Café One, explains the thinking behind the launch: “At Café One, we believe that great things happen when people have the space to connect, share ideas and build something together. Events play a big role in those connections happening, but organising one can be more complicated and expensive than it needs to be.

With Café One Events, we want to make that process easier by giving organisers the tools to bring their ideas to life, without the added burden of platform fees, while also connecting them to a network of physical spaces where those experiences can happen. It’s about making it easier for more people to create meaningful experiences and bring their communities together.”

Setting up an event should be the easiest part

For many organisers, selling tickets online is a necessary part of putting an event together. But ticketing platform fees can quickly become another expense to account for, especially for independent organisers, community builders, and people putting together their first event.

Café One Events takes a different approach. Organisers can create and manage events using the platform without paying platform fees, while also getting a space to host their event at an affordable rate.

It doesn’t matter what the event is, a paid workshop, a networking mixer, a creative community hangout, a business conference or a party for your people, Café One Events gives you a place to bring it all together.

The idea is to remove some of the friction that comes with turning an idea into an actual event. Instead of worrying about another platform fee eating into the budget, organisers can focus on what they want to create and the people they want to bring together.

Because putting an event together is already enough work. Your ticketing platform shouldn’t be another bill.

More than ticketing: a place to bring your event to life

Finding the right venue can be just as challenging as selling tickets. The space needs to fit the event, the audience, the budget and the kind of experience the organiser wants to create.

This is where Café One Events offers something extra.

Organisers who create events through the platform can access discounts on Café One spaces, giving them a more affordable way to find a physical venue for their next gathering. With Café One’s network of 35 locations across Nigeria, organisers can explore spaces across multiple locations rather than being limited to a single venue, subject to availability and applicable booking terms.

Orevaoghene Ben-Orupete, Brand & Marketing Manager at Café One, opined that hosting events should be free: “We know how much work goes into putting an event together, especially for independent organisers, creators and communities who are often working with tight budgets.

The last thing they need is to lose part of their ticket revenue just for selling tickets. With Café One Events, organisers can keep 100% of their ticket revenue while enjoying a simpler way to manage their events. And it doesn’t stop there.

They can also access discounts on Café One spaces across multiple locations, giving them more flexibility in choosing where to host their events. We want organisers to spend less time worrying about the logistics and costs, and more time creating experiences people genuinely want to be part of.”

It could be an intimate workshop or community meetup to a business networking session, a creative gathering or a team event, organisers can find a space that suits the experience they’re planning.

There’s a connection between the digital and physical sides of event planning: Use Café One Events to organise your event, then tap into Café One’s spaces to bring people together in person.

The benefit is especially useful for organisers who want to build a recurring community or take their events to different audiences. Rather than having to start from scratch every time they need a venue, they can explore options within the Café One network.

Everything you need to get people through the door

Café One Events goes beyond listing an event and hoping people show up. It gives organisers practical tools to manage the experience from the moment tickets become available to the moment guests arrive.

Organisers can create public events for anyone to discover or private events for a more select audience. They can set up ticketing, manage attendee information, communicate event updates and check attendees in at the door.

For attendees, it means a more organised experience, with event information and ticketing managed in one place.

The goal isn’t to make event planning more complicated with extra technology. It’s to make the behind-the-scenes work a little less stressful, so organisers can focus on what matters: creating an experience people actually want to show up for.

The ambition is to make it easier for more people to host events, build communities and turn ideas into real-life experiences, with tools and spaces that support them along the way.

Because an event is rarely just an event. It’s the people who meet there, the connections that happen afterwards and the opportunities that might never have existed if someone hadn’t decided to bring everyone into one room.

Let’s put your event out there

Café One Events is available to organisers looking to create, manage and ticket their next event. Whether it’s a professional gathering, a learning session, a networking experience, or a community hangout, you can get started for free and explore discounted access to Café One spaces for your event.

Organisers can visit www.cafeone.ng/events to create an event and get started.

About Café One

Café One is the largest coworking, hospitality and community brand in Nigeria. The brand has created spaces where people can work, meet, create and host events. With an expansive network of 35 hubs across Nigeria and digital tools designed to make work and connection easier, Café One is building an ecosystem for businesses, professionals, creators and communities. Its mission is to make it easier for people to find the spaces, resources and connections they need to do their best work.