OBoE is an online web application for booking for events. It is focused on LRP events but non-LRP events are just like LRP events but with no character details!
It gathers the details of the attendees for the organisers and allows the attendees to select items (such as entrance tickets) and pay for them using online payment methods.
There is no rocket science here, there is no magic or One True Way. Just a good system with some good features.
... it saves you writing on a paper form, finding your cheque book, writing a cheque, finding an envelope and stamp, and then going out an posting all of that.
If you attend multiple events by the same organisers, or events by assorted organisers working through OBoE, it will save you lots of typing and let you copy the details you entered for other events.
... it saves you having to receive many envelopes, open them and then type all the details into the computer that we can't imagine you not using. It will then deliver them back to you in various easy forms to load into your spreadsheets
There is also a Micro$oft Access Database tool which can be supplied. This is designed to make producing LRP character cards easy using data exported from the website.
Some attendees do still need to send cheques, even if they fill in details on line.
Some attendees will still need to send paper and cheques.
But less. And the organiser can enter those details into OBoE with all those who did book online.
If you are an organiser for several event organising groups you can log-in once to OboE and switch amongst them.
By which we currently just mean PayPal.
OBoE will instigate an online payment session and if that replies to it, will record that it appears that an online payment was made.
The organiser should still cross reference their payment acccount statment with what people have asked for.
It's reallly just an issue of how much you trust computers with money.