Project Overview#
In this project, we worked with a real customer case from E.G.
E.G. visited us and presented some of the challenges they experience in their business.
The goal was to understand their current situation and think about how AI, digital systems, and code agents could help them in the future.
The visit was very interesting because it was not just a theoretical school assignment.
It was a real company with real workflows, real customers, and real problems that could potentially be improved with technology.
The main focus was to listen, understand their needs, and come up with ideas for systems that could support their work.
About the Case#
E.G. works with different types of events and activities.
Some of the areas they talked about were:
- weddings and large parties
- conferences and day events
- summer house rentals
- internal planning and administration
- inventory and purchasing
- their yearly Christmas market
A lot of their work is very personal and depends on good communication with customers.
Especially weddings require a lot of care, because for the customer it is one of the most important days in their life.
At the same time, many of the internal processes are manual and spread across different tools, documents, emails, and systems.
Current Challenges#
One of the biggest things I noticed was that E.G. already has many systems and workflows, but they are not always connected.
Some information is in emails.
Some is in Word documents.
Some is in Trello.
Some is in accounting software.
Some is in Excel sheets.
Some files are stored in folders or Dropbox.
This creates a lot of manual work because the same information sometimes has to be copied from one place to another.
Examples of challenges could be:
- manually copying customer information into documents
- keeping Trello cards updated
- checking contracts and offers against internal planning
- handling many emails from customers
- remembering deadlines and missing information
- managing inventory for events
- calculating purchases based on guest numbers
- planning stands for the Christmas market
- creating invoices manually
- collecting and organizing information from many different people
This made me think that the biggest problem is not just one missing system.
It is more about the whole system landscape and how information moves between people, tools, and processes.
System Ideas E.G. Could Benefit From#
Based on the meeting, I think E.G. could benefit from several different types of systems.
1. System Landscape Overview#
One useful idea would be to create a diagram of their current system landscape.
This could show:
- which systems they use today
- where information starts
- where information is copied manually
- which people are involved in each process
- where delays or mistakes can happen
After that, a future system landscape could be designed.
This would make it easier to see where AI or automation could actually help, instead of just adding another tool without understanding the full picture.
2. AI Email Draft Assistant#
A lot of communication happens through email.
For weddings, the communication needs to feel personal.
So a fully automatic reply system would probably not be the best solution.
But AI could help by creating email drafts.
For example, AI could:
- read the customer’s question
- suggest a polite and personal reply
- include relevant standard information
- reuse existing templates
- remind the employee to include important details
- keep the personal tone instead of sounding like an automatic response
This could save time while still allowing the employee to review and edit the message before sending it.
3. Contract and Offer Assistant#
Another possible system could help with contracts and offers.
Right now, information is sometimes typed into several places.
An AI-supported system could help collect the information and generate a draft for:
- offers
- booking documents
- contract additions
- customer summaries
- internal planning notes
The system would not replace the person responsible, but it could reduce double work and make sure important information is not forgotten.
4. Wedding Planning Dashboard#
For weddings, E.G. could benefit from a dashboard that collects all important information in one place.
It could include:
- guest count
- allergies
- vegetarian or vegan meals
- table setup
- flowers
- accommodation
- deadlines
- missing information
- contract status
- internal tasks
AI could help by summarizing email threads and notes, and then suggesting what still needs to be clarified.
For example:
“The couple has not yet sent the final table plan.”
“The number of vegetarian guests is still missing.”
“Accommodation information should be confirmed.”
This would make it easier to keep track of everything without manually checking several systems.
5. Inventory and Purchase Planning#
Another area where a system could help is inventory and purchasing.
For large events, it is very important that there is enough food, drinks, linen, candles, cleaning supplies, and other materials.
At the same time, they do not want too much waste.
A system could help calculate what needs to be ordered based on:
- number of guests
- event type
- menu
- previous events
- current stock
- expected consumption
AI could also help improve the estimates over time.
After an event, staff could enter what was left over or missing.
Then the system could learn from this and make better suggestions next time.
Focus Area: The Christmas Market#
The part I am most interested in working with right now is the Christmas market.
I think this is a really exciting case because it has many clear problems that could be improved with a digital system.
The Christmas market has many stand holders, and a lot of the planning seems to be handled manually.
Some of the challenges are:
- collecting signups
- handling returning stand holders
- finding new stand holders if someone says no
- managing special wishes
- placing stand holders in the right areas
- sending practical information
- creating invoices
- collecting emails
- making reports
- remembering notes from previous years
This seems like a good project because it is specific enough to build a prototype, but still complex enough to be useful.
Possible Christmas Market System#
A useful system for the Christmas market could be a stand holder management platform.
The system could include:
- online signup form
- list of stand holders
- returning stand holder registration
- special wishes and notes
- stand placement overview
- invoice information
- automatic email drafts
- internal evaluation notes
- public overview for the website
This could make the planning process much easier.
Instead of collecting everything manually through emails and PDF forms, the information could be stored in one system.
How AI Could Help With the Christmas Market#
AI could be used in several ways.
Email and Signup Summary#
AI could summarize emails from stand holders and extract important information such as:
- company name
- contact person
- stand type
- number of tables
- special wishes
- food requirements
- parking needs
This would reduce the amount of manual reading and copying.
Stand Holder Notes#
AI could help organize notes from previous years.
For example, after the event, E.G. could write or dictate a short note about each stand holder.
The system could then turn it into a structured evaluation:
- should they be invited again?
- were there any problems?
- did they fit well with the market?
- where should they be placed next time?
This could be very useful because it means the company does not have to remember everything manually from year to year.
Automatic Email Drafts#
The system could also generate email drafts.
For example:
- invitation to previous stand holders
- confirmation email after signup
- reminder about practical information
- email about sandwiches and parking
- final information before the event
Again, I think it is important that AI does not send everything automatically.
It should create drafts that a person can approve.
Stand Placement Support#
Another interesting idea is a visual stand placement tool.
E.G. could move stand holders around on a map or layout.
AI could help suggest placements based on:
- stand type
- special wishes
- previous placement
- importance of the stand
- practical needs
The final decision should still be made by a person, because there are many human and aesthetic choices involved.
Why This Case Is Interesting#
I think this case is interesting because it shows that AI does not always have to be a chatbot.
AI can also be used to support workflows, summarize information, create drafts, and help people make better decisions.
The most useful solution is probably not a system that replaces the employees.
It is a system that removes repetitive manual work, so they have more time for the parts that require human judgment and personal contact.
For E.G., this is especially important because their business depends a lot on trust, service, and personal experience.
What I Learned#
This customer case taught me that before building a system, it is important to understand the business.
It is not enough to just ask:
“Where can we use AI?”
A better question is:
“Where does the company lose time, repeat work, or risk mistakes?”
I also learned that real companies often have systems that work, but only because people spend a lot of time manually connecting them.
That means there can be a lot of value in creating better structure, better overviews, and better workflows.
Technologies and Concepts That Could Be Used#
Some technologies and concepts that could be relevant for this type of project are:
- AI-assisted email drafts
- information extraction from emails
- dashboards
- form handling
- database for stand holders
- inventory management
- workflow automation
- document generation
- Trello or project management integration
- e-conomic API integration
- user-friendly admin interface
- code agents for prototype development
Reflection#
My biggest takeaway from the meeting with E.G. is that AI can be useful when it is connected to a real workflow.
There were many interesting problems, but the Christmas market stood out to me the most.
It has a clear process, many repeated tasks, and a lot of manual communication.
That makes it a good area for a prototype.
At the same time, the other areas were also exciting, especially wedding planning, inventory, and purchasing.
I think E.G. could benefit from systems that help them collect information, reduce double work, create better overviews, and use AI as a support tool for administration and planning.
For me, this case showed how important it is to understand the customer before choosing a technical solution.