Roast Different 2026: a festival contest on a stamp card

Roast Different 2026 was already the 5th edition of one of the biggest urban coffee and gastronomy festivals in Central Europe. On 30 and 31 May 2026 it filled Refinery Gallery in Bratislava, drew more than 5,000 visitors and over 80 exhibitors. We at VEXiON cards stood among the main partners and, for the visitors, we prepared a contest for a coffee machine built on a digital loyalty card.

• 5th edition of the Roast Different festival, 30 - 31 May 2026, Refinery Gallery Bratislava
• VEXiON cards as one of the festival's main partners
• A coffee-machine contest with four roasteries and venues on a digital stamp card
• Result: 350+ entrants, 1,400+ stamps over a single weekend

In this article we show how the contest worked, who pulled it off with us, and why a festival like Roast Different is a perfect example of where a digital stamp card makes sense beyond an everyday venue.

What was the coffee-machine contest at Roast Different 2026

The coffee-machine contest was a festival game in which a visitor collected stamps for coffee at four selected stands and, with a full card, entered the draw for a coffee machine. The whole thing ran without paper and without downloading any app, straight through a digital card in the phone.

The principle was simple and built to motivate people to walk the whole festival, not stay at one stand:

1. Register by scanning a QR code.
2. Visit the 4 selected stands.
3. Collect 1 stamp at each.
4. With a full card you are entered into the draw for a coffee machine.

For the visitor it meant a reason to taste coffee from several roasteries. For the partners it meant that people who would otherwise stick to their favourite brand came to their counter too.

How the digital stamp card worked at the festival

A digital stamp card is a loyalty card that lives in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, with stamps added by a scan at the stand. At the festival it replaced the paper flyer that people lose and throw away after the weekend.

The flow from the visitor's side:

Registration. At the entrance or at any partner stand, all it took was scanning a QR code. The card saved into the wallet in the phone within seconds, with no installation and no password.

Collecting stamps. At each of the four stands the staff scanned the card and added a stamp. The visitor immediately saw how many were left to a full card and which stand to visit next.

The draw. With a full card the entrant was automatically placed into the draw for a coffee machine. No tickets, no manual lists.

A stamp card, by the way, is not only about the "buy 9 coffees, the 10th is free" rule. The same format is used by individual cafés, but also by chains and networks of venues, where one card collects stamps across all branches. It works the same for seasonal campaigns, cross-promotions between several businesses (exactly like at this festival), product-specific rewards, or to encourage trying the whole range, not just one item. The festival only showed that the same stamp cards can handle a one-off event with several venues at once. More on how the card works in an everyday venue is in our guide to digital loyalty cards.

On stage: practical tips on how to increase sales

Beyond the contest, we were also on stage at Roast Different. In the talk "Practical tips for five businesses, live on stage: how they can increase sales", Jakub joined for VEXiON cards and, together with speaker Peter Strcula, went through concrete steps venues can take to actually grow their sales. It closed with questions from the audience, where owners asked about what matters to them most: how to retain customers, how to launch a loyalty program and what really works in practice.

The four partners without whom the contest would make no sense

The contest would not have happened without four partners who poured their positive energy, a fantastic approach and the appetite to try something new into it. Each of them made up one of the four stands you had to visit, and each has our huge thanks.

• KIKAFE Coffee Roasters - a Czech specialty roastery from Olomouc with its own espresso bar and barista courses. Thank you for the coffee that drew people to the stand.
• Swerl Coffee Roasters - a Swedish roastery focused on seasonal, vibrant coffees from around the world. Thank you for bringing a Nordic take on specialty to the festival.
• Aurelica Coffee - the first coffee roastery in the Liptov region, roasting fresh and selling direct. Thank you for showing that specialty grows beyond the big cities too.
• Punjabi Dhaba - an authentic Indian restaurant in Bratislava, running since 2017. Thank you for the flavour that added something completely different to the coffee.

Bringing four different businesses together onto one card is exactly the kind of collaboration that helps the Slovak and Central European coffee scene grow both wider and deeper.

What the numbers say about the festival contest

The strongest result of the contest were the numbers themselves: more than 350 entrants and over 1,400 stamps collected in a single festival weekend. That is roughly four stamps per participating person on average, meaning most entrants really did walk all four stands.

These numbers are not just a nice statistic. They show that a well-set stamp mechanic can steer how people move around an event and bring them even where they would not go on their own. In our data across more than 280 venues we see the same thing outside festivals too: a card someone adds to their phone once is actively used by 87.3% of people, because they always have it on them and cannot leave it at home.

After the contest: announcing the winner and real-time data

The digital card does not end with the draw, and that is its biggest advantage over paper. We informed the coffee-machine winner about the win with a push notification straight to the card in the phone, and since the draw was live, we of course also called them. For a venue, such an announcement is very easy: with one click you send a push notification to everyone who took part, with no SMS and no email that gets buried. The same message can thank the entrants or invite them to next year's edition.

Just as important, we had the whole course of the contest in real time. In the analytics overview we immediately saw how many people joined, how many stamps landed and which stands were the busiest. These data are not lost after the event ends, but serve as the foundation of an everyday loyalty program that keeps customers even after the event.

A stamp card is not only about free coffee

A digital loyalty card is not only a tool for cafés, but a format that works everywhere purchases repeat and where you want to motivate people to come back. A festival, a market, a food court or a network of venues all share the same basic problem: how to give a visitor a reason to move on and return.

At an event like Roast Different the card solves three things at once. It motivates the visitor to discover more stands, gives the organiser an overview of what is happening, and brings partners customers who would otherwise walk past. The same principle then works in a café, a restaurant, a salon and a gym, just over a longer time.

Frequently asked questions about the festival stamp-card contest

How did an entrant join the coffee-machine contest?

The entrant scanned a QR code, which saved a digital stamp card to their phone. They then visited the 4 partner stands, collected 1 stamp at each, and with a full card were automatically entered into the draw for a coffee machine.

Did a visitor need any app for the contest?

No. The card saves straight into Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, which almost everyone has in their phone. There is nothing to install and no password to create, you just scan a QR code.

How many people took part in the contest?

More than 350 entrants took part and together collected over 1,400 stamps across the four partner stands. On average, most of them walked all four participating venues.

Which businesses were the contest partners?

The contest partners were four roasteries and venues: KIKAFE Coffee Roasters, Swerl Coffee Roasters, Aurelica Coffee and Punjabi Dhaba. Each of them made up one of the four stands you had to visit.

How did entrants find out about the winner?

We can reach the winner with a push notification straight to the card in the phone. The same notification can thank everyone who took part, so post-contest communication needs no SMS or email.

Can the same contest be run at another event?

Yes. We can set up the same stamp mechanic for a festival, a market or a network of venues. You just choose the participating stands and the reward. How it works long term in a venue is described in our guide to digital loyalty cards.

Conclusion

Roast Different 2026 raised the bar once again. Great organisation, a great line-up of stands and, above all, an unforgettable atmosphere that nothing can replace. We are grateful that we could be part of it as one of the main partners.

Our biggest thanks go to the four partners, KIKAFE, Swerl, Aurelica and Punjabi Dhaba. Without your coffee, food and the teams behind the counters, the contest would not have been what it became in the end.

The contest also showed that a well-set loyalty program does not have to wait months for results. The same principle that moved hundreds of visitors in a single weekend works long term in every venue that wants its customers to come back. If you are considering your own loyalty program or contest for your customers, take a look at our plans and pricing.

Events like Roast Different confirm once again that the coffee scene in Slovakia is growing both wider and deeper. And we are happy that we can be part of it. See you next year.