Smooth entry helps retain your attendees' excitement, setting the tone for your event. No one likes queues, and long wait times can quickly dampen the experience. Unsuccessful crowd management at entry can lead to confusion, performance delays and frustrated attendees.
To ensure fast and seamless entry, below are some simple tried and tested methods for making your scanning as fast and efficient as possible.
Keep your attendees well informed prior to your event
Prepping your attendees well in advance will help reduce confusion and delays on entry. This can range from door and set times, to what is permitted on site. We recommend:
- Provide a site map: Should you have multiple entry points, make sure they are known. This can take pressure off your main entrance reducing queue times
- Introduce a Do's and Don'ts page on your website: Not only will this help reduce inquiries throughout your sales period, but it can also speed up security checks at entry
- Encourage early arrival: Inform your attendees when doors open, or set times. This will help stagger arrivals as well as avoid panic from those waiting to get in.
- Keep in regular communication with your ticket holders: Use Email Buyers and social media networks to re-enforce the rules and information that will help attendees get to your venue and through your entry points quickly
Test your scanning setup
Testing your setup and equipment prior to your event will avoid any unwanted surprises on event day. Both the Mobile Scanning App and Gatekeeper provide you with options for 'checking-out' all scans. This allows you to test your setups using real tickets to your event.
Not only will it give you peace of mind, but it also allows you to make contact with Client Success Team should you need some assistance.
Train your volunteers...and yourself!
Whilst both scanning options are easy to use, learning how to use a new application at the entry point can add a layer of unnecessary stress that is only amplified by a queue of attendees eager to enter.
Whether you choose to do so prior to your event day, or schedule allocated times before each shift starts, it is vital that you and your volunteers get familiar with the chosen scanning method. Not only will it ensure your scan data is accurate, but they will also know what to expect, how to handle particular scenarios (eg. tickets that have already been presented, or attendees that have misplaced or forgotten tickets etc) and how to answer any anticipated attendee questions.
Leave distance between the entry point and queue
Set up your entry points so that you have a 2-3m gap between the gate/door and the start of your queue. This creates an air gap which will allow you to sort out those who have tickets ready to scan from those that don't.
Assign a staff member to greet attendees
Allocate a person to greet patrons well before they reach the scanning point.
This person's main responsibility is to check that all those waiting to enter have their tickets presented ready for scanning. They should be instructing attendees to:
- Hold their own tickets for entry, where possible. This will allow the staff scanning to simply scan without having to decipher who belongs to each ticket.
- Should an attendee need to hold multiple tickets, ensure that they are fanned to display the QR code of each ticket rather than stacked on top of each other.
- If they are presenting a ticket on a mobile or tablet device, that the brightness is turned all the way up
They will also be able to assist those that don't have their tickets, along with any queries or concerns attendees may have. By doing so it ensures your staff at the scan points are only needing to perform the scan actions so a constant flow of attendees can enter.
Staff charged with scanning should only be scanning
Position a staff member at each entry point with a scanner. This person's sole role is to scan, allowing for a constant flow of attendees entering uninterrupted. They should not be tasked with additional duties, such as checking IDs or bags, providing pass-outs or vouchers, or assisting attendees ticket issues.
Attendee questions and ticket issues should be dealt with prior to them reaching the scan point. It is recommended you provide additional staff for doing so (see: Assign a staff member to greet attendees).
Have a separate entry queue for those that purchased tickets in advance online
If you are offering the ability to purchase tickets at the event, have a separate entry queue for those that have already purchase tickets online.
The idea is that you are rewarding those that pre-purchased tickets with priority entry. It will ensure that they continue to do so for future events as well encourage others to do the same. Not only will this take pressure off your box office, but it can also help drive ticket sales prior to the event.
Mobile Scanning App: Scanning all day? Have a portal battery pack on stand by
Should you have short entry times and using a device with a reliable battery, you should be able to scan in your attendees without the need to rotate out devices or charge in between scans.
If you do have long entry periods, we would recommend you have a portal battery pack on stand by should you not have access to power whilst scanning. Portable battery packs allow you to scan whilst your device is charging so that your entry is uninterrupted.
Mobile Scanning App: Run events regularly? Consider investing in devices
Should you be running events regularly, we'd recommend investing in your own devices rather than relying on your staff or volunteers to use their own. It ensures that your devices are compatible, set up correctly to begin scanning, battery life is reliable, and your staff managing the entry are not destructed by other apps installed.
There are a number of cost-effective devices on the market today for both android and iOS. Before you purchase do ensure you take a look out the mobile specifications listed in our Mobile Scanning App guide.