Every part of running a judged show
Here’s what Roll & Show actually does, organized by the phase of the event you’d use it in. At the end, an honest list of what it doesn’t try to do.
Before the event
Configure once. Open registration. Let entrants do the typing.
- Event configuration. Name, date, time, location, entry fee, charity beneficiary, organizer info — one settings page, save section by section.
- Class management. Add as many judging classes as you need. Each has a two-character prefix that becomes vehicle numbers (AM01, AM02, etc.).
- Public registration form. Branded to your event. Entrants self-register from any phone or laptop.
- Confirmation emails. Each registrant gets a confirmation with their reg code and event details. You get a copy too.
- Editable email templates. Customize subject, copy, and HTML of every system email with placeholders for entrant info.
- About page editor. Customize the public about page with event details, organizer info, and rules. Rich-text editing with its own section in Settings.
- Sponsor showcase with tiers. Assign each sponsor a sponsorship tier with a color-coded badge. Link them to classes or awards — sponsors appear next to that class on ballots and results. Toggle per-sponsor visibility for the home page, ballots, results, or as an overall event footer sponsor.
- Pre-flight check. A System Check page verifies database, email, QR library, and required files all work. No surprises on event day.
Check-in & numbering
Cars roll in. You check them in. Numbers get assigned. Two volunteers can run it.
- Unpaid check-in queue. Every pre-registered entrant shows up here. One click marks them paid and assigns the next number in their class.
- Smart search. Find any entry by name, registration code, phone, year, make, model, or color. Class filter for high-volume events.
- Walk-up entries. Same-day entrants? Add, mark paid, and assign a number in seconds.
- Self-registration kiosk. Enable a PIN-protected, touchscreen-optimized kiosk for on-site self-registration. Entrants type their own details, pick a class, and get a confirmation code — no staff needed at the terminal.
- Auto-numbered classes. Each class numbers itself starting at 01. No manual list-keeping.
- Printable windshield cards. Print one card or a stack. Vehicle number, class, entrant name, vehicle details.
- Edit anything. Mistyped year? Wrong class? Fix it on the spot. Class changes reissue numbers and keep history.
- Soft remove. Cancellations get hidden, not deleted. Restore anytime if the entrant shows up after all.
- Lock-down protection. Once voting opens, only super admins can add new entries — protecting the integrity of votes already cast.
Voting — paper, online, or both
Voters choose how they vote. Both paths end up in the same tally.
- Printable ballots with QR codes. Generate voter codes in batches. Each ballot prints with the QR code, the four-character code, and the list of eligible vehicles per class.
- Online voting. Voters scan the QR or type the code in. Mobile-optimized. No app to download.
- Best in Show. Cross-class voting handled separately.
- Ballot locking. Voters lock their ballot when done. Staff can still correct locked ballots if a voter needs help.
- Quick paper-ballot entry. Staff types just the vehicle numbers from each paper ballot. Strict validation prevents wrong-class or unpaid-vehicle votes.
- Full paper-ballot entry. Same job, but with dropdowns showing every eligible vehicle — for messy or hard-to-read ballots.
- Blank contingency ballots. Print backup blanks for when a ballot tears or gets dropped in a puddle.
- Per-award custom ballots. Configure separate printable ballots for Kids’ Choice, Sponsor Pick, Mayor’s Choice — each with its own title, color, and instructions.
- Code lookup. Search by code or by name. See status, current votes, history. Unlock a ballot if needed.
- Code batches. Generate codes in named batches so you can track which stack went where, or reprint a batch.
- Optional voting cutoff. Set an auto-close time. Voting freezes when the clock hits.
- Ballot status flags. Mark a paper ballot Entered, Partial, or Needs Review. Needs-Review ballots block final results until cleared.
Results, awards & trophies
Math gets done. Ties get shown clearly. Trophies get recorded.
- Live admin results. Watch class standings update as votes come in. Admin-only until you publish.
- Clear tie display. The system shows ties without pretending to break them. You decide — coin flip, judges’ call, co-winners.
- Data warnings. If any vote points to a removed or wrong-class vehicle, you’ll see it before you publish.
- Event Check dashboard. A dedicated validation page that flags configuration issues, data inconsistencies, and vote conflicts. Run it anytime to catch problems before they surface on event day.
- Manual awards. Record judge-assigned awards like Mayor’s Choice, Sponsor Pick, Best Engine, Furthest Traveled. As many categories as you need.
- Trophy tracking. Photograph each trophy. Record the winner. Build a public showcase that becomes the event’s memory.
- Event photo gallery. Upload event-day photos. Auto-resized. Shown on the public site.
- Public results page. One toggle reveals winners on the public site — classes, Best in Show, manual awards, trophy photos.
- CSV exports. Class results, Best in Show, manual awards — download spreadsheets for press releases, sponsors, or your records.
Archive & reset
Close out cleanly. Save everything. Reset for next year without losing setup.
- One-page archive report. Event details, summary, ballot status, class results, Best in Show, manual awards, and every registered vehicle — in one document.
- Word document export. One click exports the archive as a Word doc you can edit, email, or print.
- CSV exports. All result categories as spreadsheets.
- Audit log. Every significant admin action recorded. Survives event resets. Useful if a result is ever questioned.
- Clear test votes. Test-drove the system with practice ballots? Clear just the votes without losing your real entrants.
- Full event reset. Wipe vehicles, codes, and votes for next year. Keep classes, settings, admins, and audit history.
- Confirmation phrases. Destructive operations require typing an exact phrase. No “oops” clicks.
Built into every page
A handful of capabilities run through the whole system — the small things that make a long day easier.
White-label labels
Rename “Vehicle,” “Class,” “Best in Show,” “Ballot,” “Entrant” — in Settings, in a couple of minutes. Same software, different event.
Multi-tenant
Your event gets its own space on Roll & Show. Your own unique URL, your branding, your data — isolated from every other event.
Mobile-friendly voting
No app to install, no account to make. Voters scan a QR code or open a link. Works on every phone made in the last decade.
Light and dark mode
Admin pages and the public site automatically match the visitor’s system theme. Looks good in the morning, looks good at sundown.
Site themes
Choose a color scheme from Settings that fits your event’s brand. Light and dark variants adapt automatically to each visitor’s system.
Role-based access
Super admins configure. Staff runs the day. Volunteer accounts can’t accidentally change classes mid-event.
Print-ready outputs
Vehicle cards, voter ballots, manual award ballots, archive reports — designed to print on regular paper, plain printer, no fuss.
Real email
SMTP-based, your own From address, built-in test sender. Every system email is editable. Placeholders pull in event info automatically.
Audit log
Every significant action recorded. Survives event resets. Required reading if someone ever questions a result.
Straight talk about what it doesn’t do
We’d rather set expectations now than answer questions on event day.
Roll & Show is hosted online. Staff need internet anywhere they’re checking entrants in, entering paper ballots, or pulling up results. Voters need internet to vote online or scan a QR. Paper ballots are still paper for voters to fill out — but staff enter them into the system online. If your venue has spotty service, plan ahead: a hotspot, a mobile data plan, or scheduling ballot entry to a time and place with connectivity.
Roll & Show counts ballots and tracks judge-assigned awards. It doesn’t replace formal numeric judging sheets where multiple judges score each entry on point criteria. If that’s your format, get in touch — happy to talk about whether it’s a fit.
You collect entry fees your way — cash, Square, Venmo, PayPal, whatever works. The system tracks who’s paid; it doesn’t move the money.
Each tenant runs one event end-to-end, then archives and resets for the next one. Need to run multiple events at once? Get in touch and we’ll set you up.
Everything runs in a phone browser. We don’t make voters install anything.
That’s the feature list. Questions?
Best way to know if Roll & Show fits your event is a quick conversation about how you currently run your show. Reach out and we’ll go from there.