How do I run QR code check-in at an event?

A printed list works for 30 people you know by face. Beyond that, QR check-in solves three problems:

• Speed. A scan takes a second or two; searching a surname on paper takes much longer, and queues form at the start time.
• Duplicates and fakes. Each code can be checked in once. A screenshot forwarded to a friend shows up as "already checked".
• Accurate attendance. You know exactly who came, which matters for sponsors, certificates, grant reports and planning the next event.

For paid events it also catches unpaid or refunded tickets at the door rather than afterwards.

In AET there are two kinds of tickets, and the scanner reads both:

• Registration tickets. In Registration and paid participation, switch on QR tickets. After registering, the guest sees "Show ticket" on the event page and receives the ticket by email with a PDF. If you hide the place or time until a set moment (see the guide on hiding the location), the ticket shows when it will become available.
• Seat tickets. In Seat tickets, every purchased ticket is emailed separately with its own QR, and each has a web page (link in the email) with the QR, the seat, the status and a PDF.
• Anonymous registrants. If you allow registration without an account, you can send the QR ticket through WhatsApp from the anonymous entries list and mark "ticket sent".

1. Add your door team as co-admins in the event's Admins mode (by AET login). Co-admins can edit the page, scan tickets and manage sales, but cannot add other admins. Free allows 1 co-admin per event; Pro allows up to 10.
2. Test before doors open. Register yourself, open aet.events/qr on the door phone, allow camera access and scan your own ticket. Then undo the check-in.
3. Check connectivity. The scanner verifies each ticket against the server, so make sure the door phones have mobile data or reliable venue Wi-Fi.
4. Plan lanes. One scanner comfortably handles a steady stream; for a large crowd arriving at once, open two or three lanes with separate phones.
5. Prepare a fallback. Export the participant list to Excel before the event in case a guest cannot open their email at the door.

The camera keeps running between scans, so staff do not need to tap anything for the next guest. A wrong check-in can be undone, and the counter shows how many tickets were checked during this session.

• Screen brightness. Ask guests to turn brightness up; dim phone screens slow scanning down.
• Paper tickets. The PDF from the email can be printed; a printed code scans like a screen.
• One ticket per person. For seat orders, each person has their own ticket even if one person bought all of them; the buyer can forward each ticket email.
• Late changes. If you refund a ticket, the scanner flags it instantly, so refund before doors open rather than at the door.
• Privacy. Do not leave an unlocked door phone unattended; it is signed in to your organizer account.

Scanned tickets appear in the counters of the registration or ticket section, and the Overview tab in My workspace shows attendance alongside registrations, tickets sold and revenue for 7, 30 or 90 days or a year. You can export participants to Excel and send a feedback form (8 answer types, including a 0–10 rating) to registered or anonymous guests.

AET's scanner is a browser page on a phone. Consider dedicated check-in systems if you need badge printing on site, hardware scanners or turnstiles, offline-first scanning with no connectivity at all, or access-control integrations for venues with thousands of entrants per hour. Large ticketing platforms such as Eventbrite offer organizer apps for check-in, and specialist event-management suites support badge printers.