Case Study: MerleFest achieves streamlined operations and an elevated festival experience with Vendini

MerleFest Streamlines Operations & Elevates the Festival Experience

MerleFest is a four-day music festival that draws more than 80,000 attendees each spring, raises funds for Wilkes Community College and 70+ nonprofits (more than $14M since 1988), and relies on a small 17-person production team plus 4,000 volunteers. Facing complex ticketing needs—including reserved-seat ownership, high-volume sales windows, and strict state PCI requirements—the team vetted 12 vendors seeking a partner that could scale with the festival and preserve its customer-first traditions.

MerleFest selected Vendini for its willingness to customize and for hands-on support through the transition and on-site at the event. Vendini’s solutions—custom online queues, reserved-seat management, quick box-office workflows, built-in email marketing, and top-level PCI compliance—reduced wait times, freed staff hours for other tasks, improved the patron experience, and positioned the festival to adopt future enhancements like RFID.

MerleFest

Ted Hagaman

Festival Director