One of the most important aspects of planning and executing a seamless event is the check-in process. In addition to requiring check-in for the entire event, many events require checking in to individual sessions, such as to track attendance to issue certificates or credits, track session popularity to guide future event planning, share attendee lists with sponsors, or send targeted messages or surveys to session attendees.
But it takes a lot of time and effort to check-in attendees to each session — often requiring multiple event staff for concurrent sessions. As we all know, event staff shortage has become a critical challenge that many event organizers face.
To help event organizers track session attendance, Whova just released Session-Based Self Check-In, a new feature that allows attendees to check themselves into individual sessions by simply scanning the posted session QR codes with their phones. Session-Based Self Check-In is an additional enhancement to a set of check-in options Whova has already provided to event organizers, including event check-in (by staff or by self), day check-in, and session check-in (by staff).
What is Session Self Check-In?
Session self check-in is our new feature that allows event participants to check into individual sessions on their own. Like Whova’s other features, session self check-in is very easy to implement at your event.
Simply print a flyer with a unique QR code for each session, put it at the entrance of your session, and let event attendees check in using their camera or Whova App. You will then be able to see who has checked in to each session on the Whova dashboard.
Session Self Check-In Flyer (left) and Attendee Mobile App Scanner (right)
Why do you need Session-Based Self Check-In?
Session-Based Self Check-In is extremely beneficial for event organizers. With this feature, you can:
Track attendance to issue certificates or credits – With session attendance data, it’s easy to utilize Whova’s certificate generation tool to create and distribute certificates for attendees.
Track session popularity to guide future event planning – Easily see which session or speakers are more popular than others to improve your future events.
Share the attendee list with the session’s sponsor – Having an accurate attendee list is a huge advantage for sponsors so they can see who is interested in the content and build that into their future marketing and advertising initiatives.
Send targeted messages or surveys to session attendees – Lastly, you can use this data to send targeted messages or surveys to those who attended each session to collect session-specific feedback. You can do this directly in the Whova app using the Announcement feature.
While Session-Based Self Check-In can’t be used for admission control, unlike staff check-in, it can be used to gauge the success of sessions and ensure participants attend all mandatory sessions.
Let’s look at some of the main advantages of this new feature.
How can Session Self Check-in Help Your Event
As you can likely already tell, this feature is going to be a lifesaver for event planners who have to manage multiple sessions, especially when checking into those sessions is required. Let’s explain some of the main benefits of this new feature.
Eliminate Long Lines With Seamless Check-In
With session self check-in, you can enjoy an easier check-in process for attendees and staff. Organizers can print the session self check-in QR code and set it up at each session and then attendees can use their phone camera or the Whova mobile app to check in quickly and easily.
Reduce the Need for Extra Staff & Volunteers
Even if you have multiple sessions over multiple days, with Whova self check-in you don’t need to hire and train extra staff or volunteers. Simply display the session QR code and let attendees check themselves in. With such an easy check-in process, event staff members can focus on other important duties to ensure your whole event runs smoothly.
Ditch the Bulky and Expensive Check-In Devices
Say goodbye to bulky and expensive check-in devices when you use session self check-in! Gone are the days of buying or renting costly check-in devices such as kiosks, barcode scanners, or RFID devices. All your event participants need are their phones! Depending on your event, not requiring this equipment could save you tens of thousands of dollars.
Save Time & Money With Whova Check-In Tools
We’re so excited to launch this new feature because we’ve been hearing feedback from our customers that they’ve wanted it for a long time! Session self check-in will save you time and money because you won’t have to hire as many staff members or rent costly check-in devices. Plus, you don’t have to guess which event your attendees enjoyed. You have the data right at your fingertips.
Whova offers a powerful set of check-in tools for your event, from staff check-in for admission control to self check-in for a day-long event to, now, session self check-in. If you’d like to learn more about Whova’s event management platform, request a demo today.