How to run QR code check-in at an event
Badge sent by email, scanned on a phone, a list shared between stations: the method for getting several hundred people through the door without a queue.
Updated October 2026 · All guides
For QR code check-in, each participant receives a badge with a unique code by email. At the entrance, the team scans that code with a phone: the name appears and the person is marked as arrived on every station. Plan one station for 150 to 200 arrivals per hour, a reliable connection, and a separate station for special cases.
Step by step
Send a badge with a unique code
Each registration produces a random QR code that cannot be guessed, tied to the person and the event. Send it by email as soon as they register, then send it again the day before: many people find it thanks to the reminder.
Choose the scanning hardware
A recent phone with a browser is enough, with no app. Charge them fully and keep a power bank at each station. A handheld barcode scanner is only worth it for very high volumes.
Work out the number of stations
A scan takes a few seconds, but a person without a badge takes several minutes. Count one station for 150 to 200 arrivals per hour, and add a separate station for special cases: lost badge, on-site registration, misspelled name.
Check the network
Online check-in needs a connection at the entrance. Test the venue’s wifi at the exact spot where the front desk will be, and have a 4G or 5G hotspot as a backup.
Do a rehearsal the day before
Scan three test badges on each phone, where the front desk will stand. That is when you find a glare on the screen, a slow camera or a network that does not reach.
Follow arrivals live
During check-in, keep an eye on the headcount. It tells you when to start the plenary and shows you an entrance that is getting swamped.
The most common mistakes
- Scanning offline on several stations: the same person can get in twice, and the lists can only be merged afterwards.
- Giving day staff an account that can change everything. A role limited to scanning is enough.
- Forgetting people who don’t have their badge: without a search by name, they hold up the whole queue.
Doing it with LiveEvent
In LiveEvent, the badge goes out by email as soon as someone registers, the scanner opens in the phone’s browser, and the “Front desk” role checks people in without being able to change anything else. Badges can also be printed on arrival or at a self-service kiosk.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need an app to scan QR codes?
- Not with LiveEvent: the scanner is a web page that uses the phone’s camera. Other tools require an app, installed on every phone before the day.
- What if a participant doesn’t have their badge?
- Look them up by name in the list and check them in manually. Handling these cases at a separate station keeps the others moving.
- How many people can one station check in?
- A scan takes a few seconds; in practice, the special cases set the pace. A baseline of 150 to 200 arrivals per hour per station is a safe estimate, to adjust after a first edition.