Scan a guest ticket

This page is for door staff. After you have selected your event and door, the next step is to scan each guest’s QR code to admit them.

Two ways to scan a ticket

You can check in a guest using either of these methods:

• Camera scan — the preferred method. Point the camera at the QR code on the guest’s phone or printed ticket.
• Manual keyboard entry — use when the QR will not scan (blurry, torn, screen glare). Tap the “No Ticket” button to search the guest by name or email, or type the ticket code directly if the guest reads it to you.

Tip

If a guest has a dead phone or no ticket, use “No Ticket” to look them up by name or email. The guest must have a valid ticket in the system before a manual check-in can go through.

The scan flow

1. The camera is ready. Once you have chosen your event and door, the scanner opens the camera in a ready state. Aim the camera at the guest’s QR code inside the frame.

2. Or enter manually. If the camera scan does not work, tap “No Ticket” and search the guest by name or email, or enter the ticket code directly.

3. The system validates the ticket. As soon as the scan or entry is complete, the system checks all of the following at once:

   • Whether the QR code exists in the system.
   • Whether the ticket is still valid (not expired, not revoked).
   • Whether the current time falls inside the event’s check-in window.
   • Whether the door still has capacity (not full).
   • Whether the guest’s ticket tier is allowed at this door.

4. Read the result on screen. The screen changes color based on the outcome (see Result colors below). Green means the guest is admitted; any other color requires a specific action from you.

5. Print a badge if needed (optional). On a successful scan, the screen shows a Print badge button if the event has badge printing enabled. Tap to print, or skip it to move on to the next guest.

The success screen

When the ticket is valid and every condition passes, the screen turns green. The result card leads with a status block (icon + message), then the guest’s identity on a panel subtly tinted with the ticket tier’s color, so you can color-match the badge or lanyard at a glance:

• Guest name (full name) and guest email (blank when the guest has none on file — no placeholder).
• Ticket tier badge — the organizer’s own tier name on the tier’s own color, for example: VIP, General, Press.
• Party size chips — big bold numbers with icons for total tickets and, when the event tracks walk-in companions, the companions riding along. On walk-in events the whole party is admitted together, and re-scanning a fully admitted party reports the party total, not just the single ticket.
• Checked in at — the party’s admission time (the latest active check-in across the ticket holder and their companions). The yellow “already checked in” card shows the same party-latest time.
• Print badge button — only when the event has badge printing enabled; otherwise the button does not appear.

The guest is now checked in. You can scan the next guest right away — the camera returns to the ready state automatically.

Note

Some events think in party totals rather than companion counts. When the organizer turns on the ticket-count-only display for the event, the party-size section collapses to a single total-tickets chip, and the party-size wheel at the door (see below) spins over the party total instead of the companion count.

Changing the party size at the door

For walk-in companion events, the organizer can allow door staff to correct the party size on the spot — no call to the CMS needed. When the event allows door edits:

• Tap the party-size chip on the result card (or the pencil in the guest profile sheet) to open the party-size wheel.
• Flick the wheel to the number you want and submit. The wheel sets an exact target; the server works out the difference against the live count, so a stale screen can never over-request. Submitting the current count is a harmless no-op, and only a target that is genuinely over the event’s companion allowance is rejected.
• Attaching companions to a guest who is already inside admits them right away — their admission times join the party’s.
• Adjusting the count re-stamps the party’s check-in time. “Checked in at” becomes the moment the door last changed the party, so the scanner card, the recent feed, and the analytics always agree on when the party was last touched.

Caution

Party editing needs a connection. While the device is offline, the chip and pencil stay visible but disabled with a short explanation — apply the change once you are back online.

The guest profile sheet

Tap a guest chip in the recent check-ins strip at the bottom of the scanner screen (or a row in the “No Ticket” search results) to open the guest profile. The profile leads with an identity header — initials avatar, guest name, tier badge, and a check-in status pill — followed by grouped sections:

• Contact — email and phone (blank rows are omitted).
• Party — companions or ticket totals, with the same pencil to adjust the party size (see above).
• Check-in — door and time.
• Custom questions — the guest’s answers to the event’s custom questions (company, table, …).

From the profile you can also reprint a badge (when the event has badge printing on).

Manual check-out at an exit door

If your event has check-out enabled (which lets guests leave and re-enter), you may be stationed at an exit door. At an exit door, your scan performs a check-out (marking the guest as having left) — this is a dedicated action, distinct from the automatic check-out that happens when you re-scan a guest at an entry door.

The flow is the same as a check-in scan: aim the camera at the guest’s QR code (or enter it manually). Once the system processes it, the check-out result screen shows:

• Guest name (full name).
• Guest email.
• Ticket tier — for example: VIP, General, Press.
• A blue confirmation line saying the guest has been checked out.

When a check-out fails, the screen shows the reason in red or amber text, for example:

• Invalid QR — the ticket does not belong to this event or does not exist.
• Guest not checked in — the guest has not entered yet, so they cannot be checked out. Direct them to an entry door first.
• Check-out not enabled — the exit door is not active for this event. Contact the organizer.
• Outside the window or event day disabled — check-out only works during open hours.

Tap Try again to re-scan, or dismiss the message to handle the next guest.

Tip

Two kinds of check-out: at an exit door, you actively use the check-out action to mark a guest as having left. At an entry door, if the event allows re-entry, re-scanning a ticket for a guest who is currently inside automatically checks them out (the screen shows a blue “Auto check-out”). For full details on re-entry and check-out policy, see the Re-entry and check-out page.

Using an external barcode scanner (USB/Bluetooth)

If the device camera is awkward to use (for example in bright sunlight, or when you need to scan a long queue fast), you can plug in an external barcode scanner over USB or connect one via Bluetooth. This kind of scanner works like a keyboard: when it reads a code, it “types” the code string and then sends an Enter key, and the system receives the code exactly as if you had typed it manually.

How to use it:

1. Plug in or pair the scanner with the device running the ticket scanner (over USB or Bluetooth), following the scanner manufacturer’s instructions.

2. Set the scanner to keyboard-entry mode. In the scanning app, the external scanner feeds the same manual-entry field — you do not need to open the camera.

3. Scan the ticket. Point the scanner at the QR code (printed on the ticket or shown on the guest’s phone). The scanner fills in the code and submits it for validation immediately.

4. Read the result on screen just like a camera scan (see Result colors).

Note

An external scanner is especially useful in kiosk mode (self-service scanning) or when you need speed at a busy door. No camera, no button presses — just scan and read the result.

Result colors

The scanner uses color to communicate the result at a glance. This is a short summary; for the full table of all 14 states, see the Scan states reference page.

Color	Meaning	What you do
🟢 Green (Success)	Valid ticket, inside the window, door has space, tier matches.	Admit the guest. You may print a badge.
🟡 Yellow (Already checked in)	The guest already has an active check-in and the event does not allow check-out.	Do not admit again unless policy allows. The previous check-in time and door are shown on screen.
🔵 Blue (Auto check-out)	The event allows check-out and this scan checked the guest out (re-entry enabled).	The guest is now checked out. The next scan will check them back in.
🔴 Red (Error)	Invalid QR (including a ticket from a different event), expired or revoked ticket, or the tier is not allowed at this door.	Do not admit. Follow the on-screen message (for example: send the guest to another door, contact the organizer).
🟠 Amber (Warning)	Door full, door deactivated, outside the window, event not started yet, or event inactive.	Tell the guest and contact the organizer to resolve it (extend the window, change door, etc.).

Note

When the network is slow or drops, scanning still works. A successful offline scan shows the same green guest card — full guest block, tier badge, party chips — marked with an amber Offline badge and a “queued locally” note; it syncs automatically once the connection returns. Only transient server errors fall back to the offline queue; input or invalid-ticket errors surface immediately to avoid pointless replays. Re-scanning a QR whose check-in is still waiting to sync answers with the yellow already-checked-in card straight from the device’s own queue — no server round-trip needed.

When you get a non-green result

In most cases you just read the on-screen message and follow it. A few quick pointers:

• Invalid QR / ticket not found — confirm the guest actually has the right ticket for this event; if they have an account, use “No Ticket” to look them up manually. A ticket belonging to a different event also surfaces as an invalid QR.
• Tier not allowed at this door — direct the guest to a door that allows their tier.
• Door full / outside the window — contact the organizer to expand capacity or extend the check-in window.

Scan states referenceThe full table of all 14 states, their colors, meanings, and the matching staff action.

Set up the scannerLog in, select your event, and choose your door before scanning guests in.

See the full scan states table