Running regular events can place huge demands on your people’s time.
As well as all the work involved in sourcing venues and lining up what’s going to happen on the day, considerable time and effort goes into event promotion and administration.
On the day itself, things can get particularly hectic. With everything else going on, tracking attendees, checking them in, and managing no-shows and cancellations can take up valuable time that you simply don’t have.
It helps to have event management software that manages most of the legwork.
In particular, guest check-in apps can make life a lot easier and free up your time to focus on other things that demand your attention and expertise.
The traditional guest check-in process
Have you ever been to a conference or event that you’d rather forget? It stays in your memory not because of the speakers or the people you met there but because the check-in process was such a chore?
If your guests are left wondering where they need to go and then queuing in long lines, waiting for half an hour to get a name card and find a seat, the day is sure to kick off on the wrong foot for them.
The old way of managing event check-ins made this scenario quite likely. Not so long ago, manual processing of check-ins on sheets of paper was the norm.
That rarely created a good first impression. After all, check-in is often the first time that you meet attendees face-to-face.
Many of the problems with check-in should be a thing of the past. It can largely be automated and streamlined using the available technology, right down to printing name cards.
Plan for the smoothest check-in process possible
As an event organiser, you know what the ideal check-in process looks like for guests. But making it happen consistently is another matter.
In the planning stage, you will want to get clear on:
- The best place for guests to enter from, for smooth “foot traffic”
- Who will be manning your check-in area and how they will greet guests
- What check-in procedures they will use
- Exactly where guests will await check-in
You’ll also need to be clear on emergency and safety procedures. Liaise with the venue to ensure that these are nailed down and make sure that your people are across them.
You can aid a smooth check-in procedure by providing advance notice to guests. An email a few days before can help manage expectations on the day and leave less room for nasty surprises.
Why not inform guests exactly what will happen from the moment they arrive at the venue? How they will enter the venue, where they can find the check-in desk, and what will happen there.
This increases the likelihood that guests will be prepared and be able to find what they need for a quick and smooth check-in.
The process is also helped by using the correct signage so that guests have visual prompts when they arrive. Displaying your organisation’s logo also helps your branding.
While there are always unexpected hiccups at any event, planning for the ideal check-in process will help you reduce the chances of major disruptions and delays on the day.
A simple app for streamlining guest check-in at events
You can start your event on a high by making the check-in process run like clockwork, according to the plan you’ve put in place.
There doesn’t need to be a sheet of paper in sight. Guest check-in apps for iOS and Android are available, helping you manage the process with the minimum of fuss and without delays. Some apps even employ facial recognition software.
You can quickly scan attendance with QR codes or barcodes, locate attendees through search functionality, and even print name labels wirelessly. And the check-in software can be integrated and synched with your event management software to simplify administration of the event as a whole.
To ensure that this all runs smoothly, there are a few checks you’ll need to make beforehand:
- Have you checked that there are strong mobile/Wi-Fi signals at your venue? Slow internet will hold up check-in and create annoying delays.
- Have you let guest know what they need at check-in? If they need a QR code for scanning, do they know how to get their hands on this quickly?
- Are your employees well-trained in using the app and able to troubleshoot problems quickly and effectively?
Providing you can tick the above boxes, you’ll simplify the check-in process, make a great first impression, and free up your people’s time to attend to other matters on the day of the event.
Make event management a breeze
Running events can help your organisation stand out and make a powerful impact offline and online.
But the scary amount of work involved in organising and administering events often puts organisers off.
That’s made much easier by event management software that looks after much of the tedious legwork. As well as streamlining the guest check-in process, automation software can help you to:
- Notify your contacts with an automated series of emails and reminders to register
- Confirm registrations automatically with an email (with tickets attached if appropriate)
- Manage registrations and payments with a payment gateway
- Process cancellations
- Manage event admin in real-time
- Send automated event reminders by SMS
- Brand your events
- Customise event management with complex registration forms, custom event calendars, appointment booking systems, etc.
- Get feedback from attendees
The Swift Digital platform helps you deliver successful, well-managed events more effectively.
The Preferred Email, Events and SMS Automation Software For All Australian Government Departments
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Swift Digital is Australia’s leader in marketing automation software and event management working with organisations like the NSW Government, ATO, and companies like Westpac Bank and Qantas.
Find out why we’re the Australian government department’s number one choice for their professional communications and events.
To find out how your business can get the best out of Swift Digital’s platform, contact our team today.
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