Join us at the Africa's Talking Open Hackathon on Next-Gen Ticketing: Building Seamless Booking Chatbots on WhatsApp and Telegram with Sarufi and Africa's Talking to revolutionize Africa! 

Join us for an exciting hackathon focused on developing cutting-edge chatbots for ticket booking on WhatsApp and Telegram using the Sarufi conversational platform and Africa's Talking SMS API! This event aims to bring together innovative developers, AI enthusiasts, and tech professionals to create seamless, user-friendly ticketing solutions that enhance convenience and user experience.

Participants will leverage the power of Sarufi's conversational AI and Africa's Talking SMS API to build chatbots that enable users to book tickets without ever leaving their preferred messaging apps. The goal is to simplify the booking process, making it more accessible and efficient for everyone.

Are you passionate about creating innovative fintech solutions that cater to the unique needs of the African market? Look no further! Our hackathon is the perfect platform for developers, entrepreneurs, and tech enthusiasts to collaborate and build cutting-edge fintech solutions using Africa's Talking Products.

During the hackathon, you'll have access to Africa's Talking's expert mentors who will guide you in utilizing their diverse range of products, including SMS, Voice, Airtime, USSD, Insights (SIM Swap), and Chat APIs, to enhance your chatbot solutions. These tools enable you to create robust and interactive booking chatbots, improving accessibility and convenience for users.

Not only will you have the opportunity to showcase your skills and creativity, but you'll also compete for exciting prizes and gain recognition from industry leaders. The hackathon will provide a collaborative and stimulating environment where you can network with like-minded individuals, forming connections that may lead to future partnerships and ventures.

Join us at the Africa's Talking Open Hackathon on Next-Gen Ticketing: Building Seamless Booking Chatbots on WhatsApp and Telegram with Sarufi and Africa's Talking and be at the forefront of revolutionizing chatbot solutions in Africa. Register now and be part of the chatbot solution transformation! 

Key Focus Areas:

1. Seamless Ticket Booking:

○ Utilize Sarufi to create chatbots that allow users to book tickets directly through WhatsApp and Telegram.

○ Ensure a smooth, intuitive user experience from start to finish.

2. Secure and Efficient Transactions:

○ Implement secure payment gateways within the chatbots to handle transactions safely.

○ Use Africa's Talking SMS API to send OTPs for user authentication and secure bookings.

3. Real-Time Interaction and Updates:

○ Develop chatbots that provide real-time booking confirmations, updates, and reminders via WhatsApp, Telegram, and SMS.

○ Enable users to receive instant notifications about their bookings and confirmations through Africa's Talking SMS API.

4. User-Friendly Design:

○ Focus on creating conversational flows that are easy to navigate and understand.

○ Incorporate features like date selection, seat preferences, and special requests.

5. Integration with Existing Systems:

○ Ensure that the chatbots can integrate with existing ticketing systems and databases for a seamless backend experience.

Think big, start small, and scale fast!

Challenges:

• User Authentication and Verification:

○ Implement secure user authentication processes using OTPs sent via Africa's Talking SMS API to protect user information and ensure authorized bookings.

• Handling Complex Queries:

○ Design chatbots that can handle a variety of booking-related queries and provide accurate responses.

• Multi-Language Support:

○ Develop chatbots that support multiple languages to cater to a diverse user base.

• Feedback and Improvement:

○ Create mechanisms for collecting user feedback to continually improve the chatbot experience.

Target Attendees:

• Developers interested in chatbot development and automation.

• AI and Machine Learning enthusiasts.
• Customer service professionals looking to innovate booking processes.
• Entrepreneurs and business leaders aiming to enhance customer engagement.
• Tech innovators passionate about creating impactful solutions.

What should you expect as an Attendee:

• Access to Cutting-Edge Tools and Workshops: Leverage Africa's Talking powerful APIs and SDKs, designed to make implementation seamless and hassle-free.
• Apprenticeship & Support: Work closely with seasoned experts from Africa's Talking who will guide and support you throughout the hackathon as we build with you.
• Networking Opportunities: Join as a member and connect with like-minded individuals, potential collaborators, and industry professionals.
• Cash Prizes, Recognition and Qualify to Join our Marketplace Program: Stand a chance to win exciting prizes, gain recognition for your innovative solutions and
• Impact Africa: Contribute to the economic growth and development of Africa by providing solutions that simplify and enhance payment processes.

New to Africa's Talking? Get started here.

Developer Documentation (We welcome feedback)

Contribute to open-source.

The winning solution will receive cash prizes as follows:

1. Winner - $100 (Join Marketplace Program)
2. 1st Runners Up - $50
3. 2nd Runners Up - $25

Africa's Talking powers communications solutions across Africa with simplified access to telco infrastructure, developers use our powerful SMS, USSD, Voice, Airtime, Chat, Insights and Data, to bring their ideas to life, as they build and sustain scalable businesses.

Agenda:

1. Warm-Up

• Introductions
• Form teams where need be.
• Feedback
• Feature requests

2. Building/hacking: Code in GitHub/GitLab/BitBucket and deploy in Docker/Automated CI/Travis CI/Bamboo

Note: This section needs additional setup.

Upon commit, the repository is built and deployed to an accessible web server or an S3 bucket.

3. Demonstration and Wrap-up

Teams or individuals will demo what they have hacked for feedback or adoption.

Note: Carry a laptop

Opportunities:

• Network
• Innovate
• Access to our Talent bench (You can get a job or a gig on the spot)

Submit your Idea:

• Hackathon idea submission form

Gigs:

We would love to reach out to you so that you can build for our customers, please fill out this form with details to ensure we have your details:

• GIG/HACK DEVELOPER PORTFOLIO FORM

Join community channels:

Slack:

• Join Africa's Talking slack community here

Please follow our Twitter handles too:

• @AfricasTalking
• @ElarianHQ

You can get our videos, recaps, and event interviews on our youtube channels, subscribe to get updates:

• Africa's Talking Youtube Channel
• Elarian Youtube Channel

Africa's Talking community allows developers to learn skills for the modern-day African Developer. We are language and framework agnostic. All developers are welcome. This is where Africa's Talking developers community meets to build, learn and exchange knowledge.

We are helping software developers and businesses to bring their ideas to life through easy-to-use APIs easily.

Would you like to partner with us? Kindly contact the Developer Experience Team.