5 Strategies for Streamlining the Event Check-In Process

If you’ve ever attended a popular theme park during its peak season, you know how much waiting in lines can dampen your excitement and anticipation for the day. 

Don’t let this happen at your events—instead, do everything you can to streamline and improve the event’s check-in process. After all, this will be attendees’ first impression of the event and could very easily set the tone for their entire experience. 

Ensure this experience is a positive one by implementing strategies like using digital waivers, sharing the check-in process in advance, and more. Let’s dig into the full list of strategies below.

1. Use digital waivers.

Your event may not present as much risk as ziplining or bungee jumping, but it’s still a good idea to use waivers. Even low-risk events like raffles can benefit from waivers as they can mitigate liability if there are allegations of unfairness, convey important rules to participants, and ensure the raffle complies with legal guidelines (e.g., confirming that each participant is old enough to attend). These documents help protect your organization from potential legal issues. 

For example, let’s say you hold a 5K fundraiser. These fundraisers present potential risks—for instance, participants could sprain an ankle as they run the course or volunteers could get injured during event set-up. Create a waiver for volunteers and attendees that lays out these potential risks, explains the event guidelines, and asks them to release your organization from liability.

While important, traditional paper waivers can significantly add to wait times at check-in. Limit these slowdowns by using digital waivers that your supporters can sign online in advance. To protect your organization and make signing your waivers convenient, Smartwaiver recommends choosing a solution with the following features:

• The ability to embed the waiver on your websites
• Shareable links to the form
• Highly customizable forms that offer signature and initial boxes
• Parent/guardian relationship distinctions
• The ability to embed videos that cover important safety or training instructions
• A secure, searchable waiver console that stores all of the waivers you receive
• Integrations with popular email marketing services, reservation platforms, and more

With these features, your organization can work with a lawyer to write your waiver, load it into the customizable digital waiver template, and start sharing it. This gives attendees plenty of time to access, review, and agree to your waiver’s terms.

2. Document and share the check-in process.

Once your waiver and any other check-in materials are ready, share this process with attendees. Make a clear, concise list of everything attendees will need to do and bring to check-in. Share these details at least two to three weeks before the event when sending reminder emails to attendees.

For example, let’s say you’re throwing a charity golf tournament to fundraise for your cause. Here’s what you would share with attendees:

• Event details: Review logistical details like the event’s date, time, and location. Include any other helpful information, such as parking instructions or dress code.
• Steps to complete before the event: Because there are inherent risks involved with a fundraiser like a golf tournament, provide a link to your waiver and the deadline for signing. Repeat this process for any other document you need. Encourage attendees to confirm their registration details to ensure everything is accurate before the day of the event.
• What to expect at the tournament: Instruct attendees on what to do when they enter the event. Perhaps they need to visit the registration desk first, pick up their lanyard and welcome package, and enjoy lunch and refreshments at noon.
• Other important details: List any other activities, smaller events, or guidelines for the event. For example, explain that all rounds of golf must end by 3:30 so you can announce the winner at 4:00.

Push these details out on the communication channels your attendees use the most, such as emails or social media posts. Update your event landing page to include check-in materials, instructions, and links to your waiver and other documents. Additionally, designate one of your staff members as the primary point of contact for anyone with questions about the process, and add their contact information.

3. Offer mobile check-in or kiosks.

Even when you share the check-in process ahead of time, not every attendee will arrive having studied every detail of the event and completed the necessary paperwork—and that’s okay. Make sure these attendees have everything they need to navigate the check-in process quickly and easily.

First, set up a separate desk or line for anyone who still needs to sign the waiver, complete registration, etc. Consider offering kiosks where attendees can review and sign the waiver, watch your training videos, and take care of any other documentation they need to complete. Or, simply create signs with scannable QR codes linking to the documents they must complete.

Keep the process paperless, even for attendees who prefer to complete these materials in person. This way, each document can be instantly stored in a single, secure database (and you’ll save money on printing costs).

Pro tip: If you’re hosting a fundraising event, consider incorporating a text-to-donate component. Simply add the number and code attendees need to text to the signs at the registration desk. This way, you’ll make those few extra minutes attendees wait at the registration desk count!

4. Form express lines.

Create an express line for attendees who have completed all the registration processes in advance. They’ll be able to breeze through check-in without waiting behind other attendees. Consider taking these other steps to make the express line more efficient:

• Pre-package badges, welcome materials, and souvenirs
• Share QR codes or barcodes with each attendee when they register, then scan them at the desk for quick entry
• Designate and train enough volunteers or staff members to man the busy registration desk
• Create smaller lines or designate specific staff members for various actions, such as scanning tickets and handing out badges (best for larger events)
• Train staff to cover various challenges that could arise to solve problems quickly

Pro tip: Once rush hour at the check-in desk ends, you can reallocate event staff to other more important tasks. For example, you might leave two staff members at your fundraising gala’s check-in desk and have the other serve at the buffet table.

5. Have staff guide attendees.

Confusion can also contribute to check-in desk chaos. Your pre-event materials can help, but it’s a good idea to have on-the-ground support, too.

Create clear signage that’s visible as soon as attendees arrive, and station a few greeters near the door. Have these staff members direct attendees to the right check-in desk or line to keep traffic flowing. But for this to be effective, you’ll need to assign staff roles carefully and consider each person’s unique strengths.

Double the Donation’s guide to skill-based volunteering recommends assigning event staff to jobs that best fit their existing skill sets. For this reason, it’s best to select outgoing, friendly, and charismatic volunteers as greeters. Those with graphic design experience can help design signs, IT professionals can mitigate technical difficulties, and bilingual staff can translate instructions for attendees.

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Throwing a positive, memorable event often comes down to fine-tuning the small details. Putting in the effort to streamline check-in shows attendees that you value their time, put in the work to make your event extraordinary, and are a capable, professional organization. You’ll set the tone with a great first impression and inspire attendees to come back in the future.