When it comes to creating brand connections that truly resonate, few tactics pack as much punch as event marketing and experiential activations.

Behind every successful brand experience is a crucial operational element that can make or break the entire experience before it even starts - the check-in process.

In today's experience marketing landscape, consumers expect far more than just a discount or promotional code. They crave authentic brand interactions woven into their daily lives. So whether you're hosting a pop-up activation or leveraging a major cultural event as a platform, nailing check-in is absolutely essential.

Let's explore why getting event registration right isn't just about efficiency; it's about setting the tone for meaningful interactions that drive lasting connections.

First Impressions

For most attendees, their initial perception of your brand experience starts the moment they arrive and begin the registration process.

Attendees very first tangible interaction is with your registration staff, so it’s important to pick a staffing company that sources and manages a strong check in team.

If there are long, disorganized lines, confusing directions, technical issues, not enough staff, too many steps in the check in process or any other hiccups, your brand is immediately associate with feelings of frustration and impatience. Not exactly the vibe you want people in before they've even stepped through the entrance.

On the flip side, a welcoming, streamlined check-in conveys a sense of ease and elevates excitement levels.

Guests need to feel valued from the get-go, to prime them for a truly elevated experience with your brand.

Delays on Activations

But beyond just souring moods, bottlenecks and lags at check-in can sabotage your entire run of show.

If there's a significant backlog of people getting credentialed and inside, suddenly your initial activations are pushed back while you wait for lingering attendees to trickle through.

Those snowballing delays then compound throughout the full brand experience.

What was intended to be a punctual schedule full of seamless transitions quickly turns into a game of catch-up and herding people from one behind schedule experience to the next. Not exactly the rhythmic showcase you had in mind.

For multi-day events and activations, disjointed timing on day one can throw the whole subsequent schedule out of whack, meaning sub-par experiences rippling across the full engagement window.

The more complicated your run of show and the more transitions involved, the more egregious the disruptions from an inefficient check-in become. But even single experience events can have their spotlight experiences ruined by late starts and lingering logistical problems.

It doesn’t matter how many freebees you intend to giveaway to guests before they leave, it’s important to value what people value most: time.

For live brand engagements, timing is paramount for delivering the world class experiences that leave lasting impressions.

‘It is important to distinguish event registration from event attendance.’ - InEvent.com

You don’t want an attendee to be waiting in line behind someone who still needs to register, it kills the overall experience. If you are hosting a multi-day event, make sure to have a separate line for registration, so that the attendees can scan their badges and get to their desired activations.

By investing the proper resources into mastering check-in on the front end, you're protecting the integrity and impact of everything you've worked so hard to orchestrate.

Data Capture

Collecting key information from attendees is another function that slipshod check-in procedures can completely undermine.

Whether it's details like dietary restrictions, interest segmentation, and accurate RSVP counts, many brand experiences rely heavily on data captured during the entrancing process. This allows for personalized experiences tailored to what customers desire for the present and future events.

But if your check-in is plagued by missing info or inaccurate data due to technical malfunctions or short staffing, those oversights can torpedo your ability to facilitate customized components intended to elevate experiences.

Suddenly your catered meal service becomes a gamble because you're working with incomplete dietary info. Your gifting suite has sizing issues from faulty apparel data capture. And you lack the segmentation insights to intelligently customize content or activations for specific audiences.

In many ways, check-in is the data capture gateway directly impacting how well you're able to manifest individualized elements that take live engagements from good to exemplary. When this crucial data stream is compromised, your entire experience ecosystem suffers as a result.

Best Practices for Seamless Check-In

Given the nature of this first interaction with attendees, brands invest heavily in mastering check-in operations from both staffing and technology standpoints.

Ample staffing with seasoned professionals focused solely on check-in is a must. You need enough dedicated team members working entries and registration to keep lines minimal no matter what volume materializes. And having an experienced lead overseer managing check-in flows and resolving issues in real-time prevents minor snags from escalating into full-blown bottlenecks.

Here is an example of a standard check-in procedure:

1. Attendee signs up with their first name, last name, email, phone number, and a few questions pertaining to their interests, dietary restrictions, or sizing (if applicable).

2. Attendee information populates on a ‘guest list’.

3. Attendee arrives at check in and goes to the registration counter that is relevant to them (General, VIP).

4. Check in staff ask for first and last name, as well as ID.

5. Check in staff asks for attendee to present other qualifications for entry (SaaS companies like dating apps or after pay tend to require an app download with an account set up).

6. Check in staff searches the guest list for the name and checks them in.

7. Check in staff present a wristband or lanyard that pertains to the attendee (General, VIP, Over 21, Under 21, After Party Only).

8. Registration team provides any other collateral associated with check in (Maps, Table Numbers, Promotional Codes, Free Items, Hats, Sunglasses).

Here’s a checklist for you to follow when planning check-in:

1. Create a landing page on your event website for early registration and check out - that way guests don’t need to present any credit cards or cash at the check in table.

2. Connect with your client on what other collateral they want to include at check in.

3. Find a check in software or google sheet to use to populate your guest list in real time, using a software like Make or Zapier to connect your landing page to either an API key or directly to your spreadsheet.

4. Determine guest count.

5. Communicate with your venue representative on what the ideal check in set ups are for their space.

6. Design floor plan for check-in - consider guest count and tiers of entry for VIPs and general admission. Many events believe alphabetical check in is the way to go, but in my professional experience, it’s confusing any no one follows direction.

7. Hire a staffing company and ensure their staffing team is scheduled to arrive 2-3 hours before check-in begins. For every 50 guests, you should have 1 check-in staff member. If your check in is completely streamlined you should also put some staff on directional or ushering.

8. When you’ve determined how many check in staff you need, you need to acquire tablets or laptops for check in staff to utilize always acquire a few extra in the instance that one stops working or dies on site.

9. Acquire wristbands, lanyards, table cards and hand stamps, if necessary.

10. Once tables or laptops are acquired, populate the guest list on all of them and make the passwords easy to remember.

11. Determine, based on registration staff count, the number of chairs and tables needed for registration - make sure it fits your vision and initial floor plan.

12. Acquire tablecloths if necessary and determine any other style elements to include at the check in desk.

13. Host a quick virtual training the day before the event for 30 minutes to 1 hour for check in staff to get a brief overview of responsibilities. For larger and longer events, in person training is essential.

14. Hire a security team and brief them on the process so they can facilitate when to get involved.

15. Hire a technical support team members that can address technical issues and ensure automations are still populating in real time.

16. When staff arrive on the day, have another training where registration staff can get a feel for using the technology.

Leverage of cutting-edge digital tools like registration software, self-service kiosks, badge printers and other smart automation powers ultra-fast throughput while capturing complete, accurate data. But it's also critical to stress-test all technology well in advance to work through any integrations or update snafus. Nothing kills efficiency like IT issues on execution day.

Finally, clear exterior wayfinding signage and intuitive line management are essential for minimizing attendee confusion and shepherding smooth approaches to entries/registration areas.

Examples of Unforgettable Check-Ins

While not the traditional "wow" centerpiece, numerous creative brands have found ways to make even the check-in process an engaging, on-brand part of the overall attendee journey:

• Black Women in Hollywood Awards - This intricate pre-oscar award ceremony featured 4 check in stations, Media, VIP, and two general check ins. Guests were required to be on the list with no exceptions, they were checked in virtually, hand stamped for security, and given a table number. Since the stakes are high and everyone is important, it’s important to make exceptions for people who arrive at the wrong check in station.

• Burger King Million Dollar Whopper - It’s always easy to check in guests when there's free entry. Guests were required to enter into a contest where they build their own whopper for a chance to win 1 million dollars, and that was all they had to do for entry. This only required 2 check in staff for 500-2000 guests per day because all that was required was a screenshot. Guests were then counted and given a Burger King hat.

• Nike Juneteenth Run - For all Nike runs, Nike requires guests to be apart of their Nike community by creating a Nike account. For registration, there were virtual documents signing away liability due to the risk involved with running. We had check in staff managing this at the beginning of the line before checking the guest list to ensure a smooth flow. When attendees came to the check in counter, they were required to have paperwork finished, and a Nike Account, they were then assigned a number first come first serve. Check in staff recorded that number to give staff members their finishing times at the end.

Nailing that critical first interaction is about more than just ushering people through the doors. Done right, check-in serves as a powerful extension of the overall brand narrative and experience tying the entire journey together cohesively from the moment someone arrives.

Conclusion

In an era where authenticity and immersion reign supreme, nothing beats the power of well-executed live events and experiential activations for connecting to audiences in game-changing ways.

But those buzzworthy "you had to be there" moments only materialize if your check-in process is running like a finely-tuned machine. It sets the tone and perception for the entire engagement, fuels your ability to customize elements through reliable data, and protects the flawless timing required to orchestrate an elevated, on-schedule attendee journey.

Overlooking check-in or failing to devote enough thought and resources to this crucial first impression through registration staff, technology, or logistics can undermine your most ambitious experience goals before they even begin.

As brands continue doubling down on immersive marketing that authentically engages consumers' interests, mastering every facet of live execution - including the often-overlooked check-in piece - will only grow more pivotal for rising above the disruptions and truly resonating.