Connecting Community and City Leadership with a Streamlined External Bookings Platform

Our client needed a way to streamline the process of meeting with prospective external suppliers. Burdened by emails and phone calls, they knew a better way was possible. After all, today you can book a dinner reservation online. Why not a supplier intro?

Opportunity

City departments frequently receive requests from residents, business owners, and local organizations seeking to introduce their services or invite city leaders to attend community events. But without a centralized system to manage these interactions, requests were routed through ad hoc emails, phone calls, and word-of-mouth resulting in slow response times, inconsistent follow-up, and lost opportunities for meaningful engagement.

A more structured, accessible platform would allow constituents to connect with the City more easily, while helping City officials prioritize, respond, and coordinate these outreach moments efficiently - building trust, transparency, and stronger civic partnerships.

Approach

We partnered with the City's Department of Procurement and Executive Office to design and deliver a user-friendly platform that could be built and launched rapidly. Using Bubble, a low/no-code development tool, we created a customized External Bookings application that streamlined how requests were submitted, reviewed, and tracked.

Key features included:

• A public-facing form for residents and businesses to introduce their services or request City participation at events

• An internal dashboard to route submissions to the appropriate departments

• Automated notifications, status updates, and response workflows to reduce manual coordination

• Customizable intake fields to accommodate evolving needs from City leadership

Our team prioritized simplicity and scalability, building the platform in record time while ensuring it aligned with the City's operational and privacy requirements.

City staff now spend less time tracking emails and more time engaging with their community. Constituents have a clear path to connect with leadership - no insider knowledge required.

Outcomes

The External Bookings platform was launched quickly and adopted enthusiastically by both City staff and community members. What was once an informal and fragmented process is now transparent, trackable, and responsive. City leadership can review requests more efficiently, manage their commitments with clarity, and ensure that residents feel seen and heard.

The City gained a modern, user-friendly system that strengthens community ties while improving internal efficiency. Constituents gained equitable access to City officials making the process of civic engagement more inclusive, approachable, and productive.