Event check-in and badges: how to run the door without queues
Guest list, QR codes, entry lines, colour-coded badges and what to do when something goes wrong at the door.
Running event check-in well comes down to four decisions made before the day: one single guest list, a personal QR code for every guest, how many entry lines to open based on peak arrivals, and which badge each guest type gets, in which colour. Settle those in advance and the door takes ten seconds per person. Leave them open and the door becomes the event’s first impression, and not a good one. The rest is knowing what to do with whoever forgot their QR, is not on the list or arrives with their name misspelt.
One list, and it is live
Everything starts with the list. Not two spreadsheets, not the client’s and yours: one list that feeds everything else (emails, badges, the door, the venue’s dietary report).
What each person needs:
- Status: confirmed, waitlisted or not attending. People who are not coming stay on the list but take no place and get no emails.
- Guest type: attendee, speaker, VIP, press, staff, supplier.
- Badge details: name as they want it printed, company and title if relevant.
- Anything that affects the door or venue: dietary needs, allergies, accessibility.
We lock the list for printing 48 hours before the event (an example deadline; adjust it to your printer). Anything after that goes on spare badges.
One QR per guest, sent in good time
Every confirmed guest gets their own QR code in the confirmation email. The day before, a reminder with the QR again, doors time and directions. Someone with the code ready on their phone is through in seconds.
The QR has to identify the person, not the event. A generic code for everyone does not tell you who is inside.
How many entry lines to open
The question is not how many people are coming but how many arrive at once. At corporate events with a fixed start time, a large share arrives in the half hour before.
Example calculation for a 300-guest event:
| Figure | Example |
|---|---|
| Confirmed guests | 300 |
| Arrive in the 20-minute peak | 70%, about 210 people |
| Rate needed | 210 / 20 = about 10.5 people a minute |
| One line (QR + pre-printed badge) | about 4 people a minute |
| Lines needed | 3 |
| Help desk | +1, always separate |
These are rough figures: time a line at your own event and adjust. If you also hand out welcome bags or need a signature at the door, throughput drops sharply.
How to split the lines
- With pre-printed badges, split by surname (A to G, H to O, P to Z) with the letters large above each desk. Each line only searches its own box.
- A VIP or speaker line, if the numbers justify it.
- Problems go to a separate desk. One odd case in the queue holds up everyone behind it.
Every line must work on the same list in real time. If each phone has its own copy, someone gets in twice and nobody knows how many are inside.
Badges by guest type and colour
A badge does three jobs: people recognise each other, staff know who they are talking to, and security knows where each person can go.
| Type | Colour (example) | Access |
|---|---|---|
| Attendee | White or brand colour | Plenary, common areas |
| Speaker | Red | Plenary, backstage, speaker room |
| VIP / Leadership | Black or gold | Everywhere, VIP area |
| Press | Yellow | Plenary, press area |
| Staff and organisers | Blue | Everywhere |
| Supplier | Grey | Load-in and service areas |
Three rules that have saved us more than once:
- Colour always comes with text. “SPEAKER” in large type on the colour band. Some people do not see colours well, and stage lighting changes them.
- Big names. Badges are read from a metre away, not ten centimetres. First name largest, company below.
- Long names that do not break. A double-barrelled name cannot be cut off or shrunk to 6 pt by hand.
Design and printing
- Size: A6 or A7 on a lanyard, a PVC card for multi-day events.
- Back side: use it. Wi-Fi, short schedule, venue map or the door QR.
- For the printer: PDF with bleed and crop marks, one per page or on A4 sheets to cut.
- Sorted: print in the order you will look them up (by surname), boxed per line.
- Spares: 5% blank badges per type, and a marker that actually works.
In Murphy OS Forms badges come from the same registration list: design the card with name, company, logos and the door QR, choose a print size (A6, A7, PVC card, 4 × 3 in), a colour per guest type, and text shrinks automatically for long names. You can upload the designer’s artwork as a background, different per type, double-sided.
Setting up the door
- Signage from the street, not just at the desk.
- A snake queue with posts if you expect a peak. A straight 40-metre line blocks the hotel lobby.
- Cloakroom after check-in, never before, or the coat queue forms in front of the badge queue.
- Charged phones and a power bank per line. The scanner is the phone.
- A backup list as a PDF, in case something fails.
- Host briefing 30 minutes before doors: what to do with each problem and who to call.
Problems at the door (and what we do)
| Problem | What we do |
|---|---|
| No QR | Search by name on the list and check in manually |
| Not on the list | Help desk. They get in only if the person agreed with the client authorises it |
| Replacing a colleague | Cancel the original, add the new guest, spare badge |
| Misspelt name | Blank badge of the same type, handwritten or reprinted |
| Unannounced VIP | VIP line or direct escort; alert the protocol lead |
| Arrives before doors | Waiting area with coffee; lines open on time |
| Connection drops | Backup list, check in later |
The key point: who authorises exceptions is decided in advance, with a name and a phone number. A host should not have to decide whether the director’s brother-in-law gets in.
With Murphy OS
In Forms, under Responses > Door, you scan each guest’s QR from your phone. “Several entry lines” gives you a link (with its own QR) to open the door on other phones, no account needed: everyone works on the same list and nobody gets in twice. Guests marked VIP show their star at check-in, and from Export you get the dietary and allergen list for the venue. If you work in production, this profile shows how the door fits with the day’s run of show.
Door checklist
- One list, locked for printing on a set date.
- Personal QR sent, reminder the day before.
- Lines calculated on peak arrivals, plus a help desk.
- Badges by type, colour plus text, sorted per line.
- 5% spares per type and markers.
- Exception protocol with the name of who authorises.
- Charged phones, power banks and backup list.
- Host briefing 30 minutes before doors.
Quick template for your next event
Before the production meeting, answer five lines: how many arrive at the peak, how many lines you open, which badge types and colours you have, who authorises exceptions and what happens if the connection drops. Any blank answer is where your door’s risk lives.
Frequently asked questions
How many check-in lines do I need?
Work out how many people arrive at the peak (usually the half hour before start) and divide by what one line handles per minute. As an example, with QR and pre-printed badges one line handles about 4 people a minute; always add a separate help desk.
Should I print badges in advance or on site?
For most corporate events, in advance: they arrive sorted, proofread and with bleed. Bring blank spares for last-minute additions and misspelt names.
What do I do if someone is not on the list?
Never solve it in the queue. Send them to a help desk with a protocol agreed with the client: who authorises, based on what, and how it is recorded.
Which colours should I use for badge types?
Any you like, but always with the type in text (Speaker, Press, Staff). Colour reads from a distance; the text avoids mix-ups and helps people who do not see colours well.
Do I need an app to scan QR codes?
You need something that reads the QR and marks it on one shared list. In Murphy OS Forms you scan from your phone and extra lines open with a link, no account needed.