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Getting into an event takes just a few minutes, but it's one of the moments where you can most tell whether the operation is well prepared. When the information is spread across several lists, any check takes longer than it should. The queue builds up and the team starts the event behind.
QR check-in simplifies this part of the process. When the team scans the code, it identifies the attendee and their arrival is logged. But for it to actually work, it needs to start from an up-to-date list and clearly defined access rules.
Check-in is, basically, confirming that someone has arrived and logging their attendance. When it's done digitally, that information stays current in real time and can be consulted during the event or used later to prepare reports.
In this article we'll cover:
- What check-in is at an event?
- How QR code check-in works?
- Manual check-in vs. digital check-in
- Check-in and access control: what's the difference?
- What to prepare before opening the doors?
- How to manage multiple entrances or groups?
- What to do when something goes wrong?
- What information do you get from check-in?
- When is digital check-in worth it?
What check-in is at an event?
Check-in is how you validate an attendee's arrival: it confirms that the person is part of the event and logs that they've come in. At some events the process ends there, but at others it also tells you which areas or activities the guest can access.
With a manual system, the team looks up the name on a list and marks the attendance. With digital check-in, the guest shows their QR code, a staff member scans it, and their status updates straight away in the platform. That saves you reconciling lists at the end, and several accreditation points can check how many people have come in without having to call one another.
How QR code check-in works?
Before the event, each guest gets a QR code tied to their profile. They can carry it in the event app or built into their badge.
When they arrive, staff scan the code from the app, the system identifies the person and shows the information needed to validate their entry. If everything checks out, the attendance is logged automatically.
It's simple for the guest, but it takes some preparation from the team. The attendee database has to be up to date and each code tied to the right profile. If there are different groups or access levels, those need to be set up before the doors open too.
You can use this at the event's main entrance or at specific points — to track attendance on a second day, for example, or to validate access to a particular activity.
Manual check-in vs digital check-in
A printed list can be enough for a small meeting where everyone knows each other, with a single door and arrivals spread out over time.
Things change when a lot of people arrive at once or there are several entry points. If each team works off its own list, the information can go out of date fast.
With digital check-in, every point works off the same base. Each entry is logged in the system and can be seen from the other access points. It also helps a lot with last-minute changes. Instead of fixing an Excel file and sending it round to the team again, you update the information in the platform and the rest of the team sees it.
Check-in and access control: what's the difference?
Check-in confirms that a person has arrived at the event. Access control decides whether they can enter a specific space.
At an event with a single entrance, you barely notice the difference between the two. It changes when there are reserved areas or sessions with limited capacity, since clearing the general check-in doesn't mean the guest can walk into any area. Their badge might be limited to one particular day, for instance.
The same QR handles that check. When the team scans it at the door of a room, they see right away whether that person has access or not.
What to prepare before opening the doors?
How fast the door moves depends a lot on what you've sorted out beforehand. A good scanner won't fix an out-of-date list or a confusing access policy.
- Define the access rules before you accredit anyone. If there's a reserved area or a session with limited capacity, make it clear which profiles can get in.
- Tell the guest where they'll find their QR and when they'll need to show it. The less they have to search for at the door, the faster the line moves.
- Work out how many stations you need based on when people actually arrive. The total headcount matters less than how many will pile up in the busiest minutes.
- Decide who handles an exception. The people on the line need to know who to send a case to without starting a debate in front of everyone else.
- Run through the whole thing with the devices you'll actually use that day. Throw in a QR that fails, and check the connection and the batteries.
How to manage multiple entrances or groups?
At congresses, conventions and events run in waves, arrivals can be split across several doors and time slots.
Each point needs to be able to work on its own, but they all have to be looking at the same information. If a guest has already come in through another entrance, the rest of the team should be able to see it right away.
The same goes for changes. If someone moves to another group or gets a new authorization, that update has to reach whoever is working the entrance.
The validation screen should only show what's needed to make the call. Usually it's enough to identify the person and show whether they can enter; the rest of their information can stay out of sight of the door staff.
What to do when something goes wrong?
Exceptions will come up no matter how well you've prepared. The key is not to resolve them in the line itself, while everyone waits.
- If the guest can't find their QR, look them up by name or email and check that it's the right person.
- If they don't come up, check first whether they belong to another group.
- If the code already shows as used, check where and when it was validated before allowing a second entry.
- If there's a mistake in their details, fix only what you need to let them through.
- If they ask for different access, pass the decision to whoever is authorized to make it.
Setting aside a separate point for these cases keeps the main entrance clear. One person can look into the issue calmly while everyone else keeps coming in.
What information you get from check-in?
The data is captured as people come in. So by the end you already have a reliable attendance record and don't have to piece it together from manual marks. Some of the data you can gather:
- How many people actually attended, and the gap against those registered.
- How arrivals were spread across the day.
- Attendance by group and by activity.
- A history of each validation for reviewing issues.
When is digital check-in worth it?
Headcount matters, but it doesn't decide it on its own. A 40-person event with restricted access can need more control than a 200-person one with a single entrance.
Digital check-in tends to pay off when there are several profiles, when a lot of people are expected in a short window, or when the client needs to know the real attendance. It also makes sense if the event runs over several days or has activities that need an extra validation. In cases like these, a manual list can fall short even when the total number of attendees isn't high.
For a small internal meeting, with no badges and no reports to prepare, a simple list is probably enough. The decision comes down to how complex the operation is more than to the size of the event.
Manage check-in with BeGuest
BeGuest brings registration and check-in together in the same event management software. The list the team uses at the door is the same one that's been prepared and updated over the previous weeks.
From the BeGuest app, staff scan the QR and pull up the guest's record. Each entry shows up in the platform right away, both in the overview and in the relevant groups.
Once it's over, the attendance is ready for you to review arrival windows and compare the real figures against the confirmations. The team can export it to Excel without manually moving information over from another tool.
Take a look at BeGuest's event check-in solution, or request a demo if you'd like to see how it would fit into your operation.