Check-in
Setting up on-demand badge printing for your event
With AttendZen, you can automatically print badges on demand, as your attendees check in to your event.
To do this, you’ll need a desktop or laptop computer on-site, connected to a suitable badge printer.
Optionally, you may also offer self-service or staffed check-in using additional computers, iPads, Android tablets or other devices.
AttendZen Badge Print
Before you begin, you should make sure that your computer has the appropriate printer drivers installed and has your printer configured ready for use.
Each computer must have a copy of our AttendZen Badge Print software installed and configured. The Badge Print software communicates between the check-in system and your printer.
You can download the latest version of the Badge Print software using the links below:
When the Badge Print installer has finished downloading, run it. This will take you through the process of installing the software on your computer.
Once installed, run the AttendZen Badge Print application. You’ll see a window asking for an email address and password so you can log in.
The event organiser will need to set these credentials in the AttendZen Platform. The email address and password do not have to match those for a Platform user, and apply to all events in the AttendZen account.
Enter the email address and password that you’ve set for your account to authenticate the Badge Print software. Once the software is connected, it will automatically detect the printers that are configured for your computer and make them available for on-demand printing.
The Badge Print software needs to be running and logged-in while attendees are checking-in, and your computer will need to maintain access to the Internet.
If you wish, you can set up the Badge Print software on multiple computers, and each computer may be connected to multiple printers.
Check-in app
You may offer check-in to attendees using a self-service device, a staff member with access to a device, or a mix of both.
You don’t need to use the computer running the Badge Print software for check-in, but you certainly can do so if you wish.
To set up the check-in app, visit checkin.attendzen.io on your web browser.
On a desktop or laptop computer, you can use the check-in app directly in the browser.
On a touchscreen device such as an iPad or an Android tablet, you must install the app from the browser as a standalone web app. A prompt will indicate how to do this on your device.
Once the app is launched, you’ll need to unlock it for your event. Event organisers can obtain the unlock code for an individual event from the AttendZen Platform.
Enter the unlock code to configure the device for your event. The settings options available may vary depending on the policies set for the event in the AttendZen Platform.
For events that allow on-demand badge printing, the settings panel will ask you to choose the printer you’d like to use with the device. The list will show the printers and computers that have been detected by the Badge Print software.
If you’re configuring a device for use as a self-service kiosk, the settings panel will also ask you to provide some badge collection instructions. This a short description of where an attendee can locate the printer for their badge once they’ve checked-in.
Hints and tips
If you’re setting up an iPad for use as a self-service kiosk, we strongly recommend making the following changes to the iPad device settings:
1 Turn on Guided Access
Guided Access is a way to prevent people from quitting an app or switching to a different app on the device. When Guided Access is active, users need to triple-click the side button (or the home button on older devices and some iPads) and enter a passcode in order to quit the app and go back to the normal device home screen.
To enable Guided Access, go to Settings → Accessibility → Guided Access and toggle the switch on. You can also set a passcode now from here.
Then, launch the app and triple-click the side/home button. If you didn’t set a passcode in Settings, you’ll be prompted for one now.
2 Turn off auto lock
Most of us have our devices set to automatically lock after a period of inactivity. This is wise for battery life in normal use — but for check-in, we don’t want attendees to have to wake or unlock the device.
To switch this off, go to Settings → Display & Brightness → Auto-Lock. Then set this to Never.
3 Allow camera access
When you configure the check-in app to use QR codes, you’ll be asked to allow access to the device camera. However, the device doesn’t remember this for very long, and will from time to time ask again for permission when the QR code scanner is activated.
To avoid this, you can allow camera access as a global setting. Go to Settings → Safari → Camera and switch to Allow.
Offline use
On-demand badge printing requires that all devices used for check-in are connected to the Internet. However, we have included systems to help mitigate the impact of going unexpectedly offline during check-in.
You will still be able to check in attendees using any device, including self-service kiosks. Each attendee’s check-in status will be synchronised with the cloud service as soon as the device comes back online, and you should make sure that all devices that you use are reconnected to the Internet as soon as possible.
The desktop or laptop computer you have connected to your printer may also be used to print badges manually. You can check in attendees and open a version of their badge to print using the computer’s normal system for printing.
It is also possible to make edits to these badges if any are required (and if your check-in policies allow). Badge edits made offline will also be synchronised with the cloud service as soon as connectivity is restored.
You must be online at the point you set up a check-in device for a new event, so that the device can download the attendee list and other data from the cloud service.