How to run event check-in without a queue

Queues at the door happen when many people arrive at once and each check-in takes too long. You can plan for both. Do the arithmetic first, then remove anything that slows a single check-in down.

Work out how many people you need at the door

Estimate your peak arrival rate, then divide by how many people one scanner can handle.

Example with assumed numbers: 500 attendees, with 300 of them arriving in the 30 minutes before the start. That is 10 arrivals a minute. If a scan and a short greeting take about 10 seconds, one person checks in 6 a minute. You need two people scanning, plus one for problems.

Use your own past events to adjust the numbers. Morning events with coffee often spread arrivals out. Events that start straight into a keynote do not.

Before the event

• Send each attendee their QR ticket by email, and a reminder the day before with the start time and address.
• Ask attendees to have the ticket open on their phone when they arrive.
• Charge every scanning phone, and check the venue's signal or Wi-Fi at the entrance.
• Brief your team on who handles what before doors open.

At the door

• Keep the main line for people with a ticket ready. Scan, greet, move on.
• Send anyone who cannot find their ticket to a separate help point. Look them up by name or email there.
• Put signs before the entrance, so people open their ticket while they wait.
• Hand badges or materials after the scan, at a separate table if you can.

Watch the count

A live arrival count tells you when to start. It also shows how many seats, meals or materials you still need. After the event, the gap between registrations and check-ins is your no-show rate. Use it to plan the next one.

With Penguest, tickets go out by email, your team scans from any smartphone and everyone sees the same live count. See how it works for conferences and medical societies.