SeatKeeper – Business Networking Group Management SaaS Platform

Custom Web Application Design & Development by Helios Web Design

Helios Web Design designed and developed SeatKeeper, a custom SaaS application created to help independent business networking groups manage their members, visitors, meetings, sectors, attendance, presentations, referrals and group communications in one central platform.

The project was originally developed to solve a real-world problem for a local business networking group. Many independent networking groups rely on spreadsheets, manual reminders, email chains and disconnected admin processes. SeatKeeper was built to provide a more professional, organised and scalable way to manage the day-to-day running of a networking group.

The live platform can be viewed at:
seatkeeper.co.uk

Project Overview

SeatKeeper is a bespoke web application built for UK independent networking groups, breakfast networking groups, referral groups, business clubs and BNI-style alternatives.

The platform includes a public marketing website, protected group admin dashboard, public group pages, member directory tools, visitor booking forms, embeddable website widgets and automated group administration features.

Key public pages include:

• SeatKeeper homepage —
  seatkeeper.co.uk
• Features overview —
  seatkeeper.co.uk/features
• Benefits page —
  seatkeeper.co.uk/benefits
• Example group page —
  seatkeeper.co.uk/groups/bnsl
• BNSL example group —
  seatkeeper.co.uk/examples/bnsl

Core Application Features

SeatKeeper was designed to simplify group administration and reduce the amount of manual work involved in running a networking group.

The system includes:

• Member management – add, edit, deactivate and manage member profiles, contact details, business information, photos and business logos.
• Sector management – manage one-seat-per-sector categories, available seats and occupied business sectors.
• Visitor booking system – public enquiry forms for prospective visitors, with admin approval workflows.
• Meeting management – create and edit upcoming meetings, meeting dates, locations and schedules.
• Attendance tracking – take registers, record attendance codes, pre-book apologies and download attendance reports.
• Presentation rota – schedule member presentations, manage swaps and display upcoming speakers.
• Referral tracking – allow members and admins to log referrals and recommendations.
• Automated email reminders – send meeting reminders, presentation reminders and visitor-related emails.
• Group email tools – allow group admins to email all members within monthly plan limits.
• Public group pages – provide each networking group with a public-facing page showing group information, members, meetings and available sectors.
• Embeddable widgets – allow groups to display visitor forms, upcoming meetings, member directories, presentation rotas and available seats on their own websites.
• AI content tools – generate meeting summaries, blog posts and social media content from meeting notes.
• Subscription billing – Stripe-powered plans, trials and special rates for approved clients.

Admin Dashboard & Management Tools

A major part of the project was building a practical dashboard for group administrators. The dashboard allows group admins to manage the everyday running of their networking group without relying on spreadsheets or scattered documents.

The dashboard includes:

• Overview cards for members, visitors, referrals, meetings and attendance.
• Member directory management.
• Attendance register and attendance analysis.
• Meeting creation, editing and cancellation tools.
• Presentation scheduling and rota management.
• Visitor approval and conversion workflow.
• Sector availability and one-seat-per-sector management.
• Email reminder templates and automated email settings.
• CSV import and export tools for member and attendance data.
• Role-based permissions for owners, admins, members and super-admin users.

Technology Stack

SeatKeeper was built as a modern full-stack SaaS application using a production-ready web application stack.

The platform uses:

• Next.js App Router – for the main application structure, routing and server-rendered pages.
• TypeScript – for safer, more maintainable application development.
• Tailwind CSS – for responsive, consistent and polished user interface styling.
• Prisma – as the database ORM for structured PostgreSQL data access.
• PostgreSQL – for the main application database.
• Clerk – for authentication, sign-up, login and protected user sessions.
• Railway – for application hosting and managed deployment.
• Stripe – for subscription billing, checkout and customer portal access.
• Resend – for transactional and automated email sending.
• Cloudflare R2 – for storing uploaded member photos, business logos and group images.
• OpenAI API – for AI-generated meeting summaries, blog posts and social content.
• GitHub Actions – for scheduled tasks including database backups and automated reminders.

Public Group Pages & Embedded Widgets

SeatKeeper also includes public-facing functionality so each networking group can present itself professionally online.

Each group can have:

• A public group profile page.
• A visitor application form.
• A searchable member directory.
• Featured member cards.
• Upcoming meeting listings.
• Presentation rota displays.
• Available business sector seats.
• Embeddable widgets that can be placed on an existing group website.

An example public group page can be viewed here:
https://seatkeeper.co.uk/groups/bnsl

The Result

The finished application provides a professional, flexible and scalable platform for managing independent networking groups.

SeatKeeper helps networking group organisers:

• Reduce spreadsheet-based administration.
• Improve communication with members and visitors.
• Manage attendance and presentations more consistently.
• Keep member information in one central place.
• Present the group more professionally to visitors and prospective members.
• Save time on recurring admin tasks.
• Use modern SaaS tools without needing a large technical team.

The platform continues to be developed with feedback from real networking group admins and members, making it a practical example of a bespoke web application built around a genuine business need.

Need a Custom Web Application or SaaS Platform?

Helios Web Design builds practical, professional and easy-to-use digital systems for businesses, organisations, membership groups and service-based companies.

If your business is relying on spreadsheets, repeated admin tasks or disconnected systems, a custom web application could help you save time, improve communication and work more efficiently.

Contact Helios Web Design to discuss a custom web application