Hello everyone,

We spent the past month rolling out exciting new features to make event management easier. In addition, we’ve improved Backstage's performance and fixed bugs to ensure a smoother event management experience.

So, in case you missed them, here are the latest updates from Zoho Backstage.

1. API guide

We are excited to announce the release of the API guide for Zoho Backstage! Whether you are a seasoned developer or just starting out, our comprehensive guide will help you seamlessly integrate with Backstage and unlock its full potential.
 
The Zoho Backstage API is built using REST principles, ensuring predictable URLs and easy application development. Following HTTP rules, our API supports a wide range of HTTP clients, allowing for flexible interaction.

Check it out here: Zoho Backstage API Guide

2. India tax

Zoho Backstage now complies with the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regulations in India. Collecting taxes on event tickets is now available for customers in the Essential plan and above.

Tax application varies by event type:

• In-person/hybrid events: Tax is applied based on the place of supply.
  
  
  
  

• Online events: Tax is applied if the attendee is in India. For attendees outside India, no tax is applied (considered an export of services).
  
  
   

1. Set the organization’s location and configure the tax rates in your portal settings.

2. Manage the Tax Type and Place of Supply for an event from the Registrations tab.

3. While publishing the event, the tax preview will be shown based on event and attendee locations.

If the event location is outside India, GST will not be applicable.

Businesses with turnover above the threshold limit of Rs.40 lakh or Rs.20 lakh or Rs.10 lakh as the case may be must register for GST and collect tax on event tickets. Zoho Backstage is not responsible or liable for collecting taxes. We recommend that you contact your local authority for advice on tax procedures or information regarding tax regulations. Tax invoice is in early access. Contact support for access.

3. Apple Pay and Bancontact Stripe payment modes  

We’ve added two new payment methods for Stripe: Apple Pay and Bancontact. With Apple Pay, participants can make quick, secure payments directly from their Apple devices using Safari. No extra fees, and payments are processed instantly! Simply enable Apple Pay in the Payments section of your event, spaceor portal.

Bancontact is now available for attendees in Belgium who wish to make payments in Euros. This popular payment method will automatically display on the payment page when:

1. The organization's location in Zoho Backstage is set to Belgium.

2. The currency is set to Euros.

3. The attendee's location (country) is Belgium.
   

4. Companion tickets (Early access)  

We’re excited to introduce a new feature that expands flexibility for your registrants, Companion Tickets. This feature, currently available in early access, allows attendees to register additional guests, such as friends, family, or colleagues.

Event organizers can enable the Companion Tickets feature, which allows attendees to bring guests by purchasing secondary tickets linked to their primary ticket. Companion tickets can be selected only when the associated primary ticket is chosen during registration.

Companion tickets can be paid or free, and offer the following key features:

• Separate registration forms

• Promo codes

• Refund options

• Individual check-ins

Registration approval: In some cases, event organizers may have to screen all the registrations before confirming their participation. When the Companion Tickets feature is configured along with the Registration Approval option, the primary and companion tickets are sent for review as part of the same order. Organizers can then approve or reject the entire order and have greater control over who can participate in the event.

The example in the screenshot includes one VIP primary ticket and two Family companion tickets.

Other upgrades

Registration Approval: The Registration Approval tab now displays all pending, approved, rejected, and completed orders. You can also export orders based on specific filters.

Forms: All forms (Registration, Exhibitor, Sponsor, Session Feedback, Get in touch, and Custom Forms) now support importing data for dropdown, single-choice, and multiple-choice fields.

Gamification: Organizers can now configure new challenges for Session Check-in and Event Sign-in from both the web and mobile app, boosting engagement throughout the event.

Font support for badges: You can now use Noto Sans JP and Jost fonts in badge designs for more customization.

Badge customization: You can now move and edit multiple badge elements simultaneously, such as text fields, logos, and QR codes.

Currency options: AED and SAR currencies are now available in the Exhibitor and Sponsor modules.

Order approval emails: The "requesterName" merge tag has been added to Approve Orders emails, allowing for more personalized communication.

We hope these updates make Zoho Backstage even more powerful and user-friendly for you. For early access to new features or any product-related questions, contact us at support@zohobackstage.com.

Thank you for choosing Zoho Backstage!