Case USA110: How a Blockchain-Based Events Startup Substituted NFT Ticketing for Enterprise Architecture Design

Sunil Dutt Jha
Sep 9
2 min read

Updated: 4d

Overview:

This case is part of a 120-diagnostic series revealing how event technology companies have mislabeled blockchain innovations as “Enterprise Architecture progress.”

In blockchain-based ticketing, a recurring pattern is treating NFT issuance and resale tracking as proof of architectural maturity.

Ticket authenticity improved, resale transparency increased, and fan collectibles became a marketing hook — yet the enterprise structure linking ticket inventory, pricing, venue access control, partner revenue sharing, and event logistics was never modeled.

P1–P6 Insight Preview:

These six perspectives define how an enterprise connects intent to execution

— P1: Strategy, P2: Business Processes, P3: System Behaviors, P4: Component Governance, P5: Implementation, P6: Business & Technology Operations.

P1 (Strategy): NFT ticketing was framed as industry disruption, but no architecture-led plan tied it to sustainable revenue models, operational readiness, or compliance with event regulations.

P2 (Process): Minting and transfer processes were mapped, but refunds, bundled packages, and group access rights remained unstructured.

P3 (System): Blockchain platforms weren’t behaviorally integrated with CRM, venue access control, pricing systems, and partner portals.

P4 (Component): Wallets, pricing engines, and ticket catalogs were governed separately, creating inconsistent entitlement enforcement.

P5 (Implementation): Development cycles focused on token functionality while deferring integration with existing ticketing and operations platforms.

P6 (Operations): Business ops could verify ownership in real time, but tech ops manually resolved mismatched access records, invalid entitlements, and settlement discrepancies.

Stakeholder Impact Summary:

CEO/Startup Founder – accountable for growth and investor returns: Limited by weak P1 Strategy — blockchain novelty generates PR, but operational readiness and long-term monetization are lacking.
CIO – responsible for platform stability and integrations: Impacted by P3 System Behaviors and P4 Component Governance — key systems lack unified business rules for ticket validation and pricing.
Sales Head (Event Partnerships) – manages relationships with venues, promoters, and leagues: Affected by P2 Processes and P5 Implementation — can pitch innovation to partners but struggles to guarantee frictionless event-day experiences.
Chief Enterprise Architect – ensures platform capabilities align with event ecosystem needs: Confronts P1–P6 issues — NFT ticketing exists as an isolated function without full lifecycle architecture.