Planning an event can mean dozens of browser tabs, scattered quotes, and a budget that keeps changing. Vendora brings the planning process into one place, from the first idea to finding local businesses.
Vendora helps organizers manage event details, budgets, checklists, and vendor research. Its directory includes 750 real businesses across the United States, including 100 within 25 miles of Ann Arbor, with photo links and published packages.
The app includes integrations for AI-assisted planning and web search. Public listings link to their sources, and AI estimates are kept separate from vendor quotes.
I used Next.js and React for the application, with GSAP and Three.js for visual effects. Supabase provides PostgreSQL, authentication, and row-level security for private event records. The app is deployed on Vercel.
The planning and search integrations use the OpenAI Responses API on the server. Geographic filtering helps users find nearby vendors beyond a single city’s boundaries.
Challenges I ran into
Moving from a local database to a hosted application required coordinating database migrations, environment variables, and authentication redirects.
Another challenge was keeping information trustworthy: public listings need source attribution, AI estimates need clear context, and generated test data must remain separate from real business activity.
I brought together a deployed application, a connected hosted database, and a directory of 750 businesses with 2,646 photo links and 1,159 published packages.
I also implemented geographic search and database access policies that keep each organizer’s event records private.
I learned how frontend design, authentication, database security, and deployment configuration fit together. I also learned that useful vendor discovery depends on accurate locations and traceable information.
Next steps include completing end-to-end testing of hosted email and live AI features, improving vendor claiming and data freshness, and refining the organizer and vendor workflows.
Longer term, I want to add payments, invoices, and better collaboration tools for people planning an event together.
Challenges I ran into
Accomplishments that I'm proud of
What I learned
What's next for vendora
Built With
- budget
- gsap
- javascript
- next.js
- openai
- postgresql
- react
- supabase
- vercel
