5 Strategies to Keep Lines Short at Your Next Event
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You’ve set up your event and are expecting quite a turnout. Now it’s time to get excited crowds through the door. So how do you create a smooth check-in experience for your guests, and avoid the common pitfalls that lead to long lines to get into your event? Learn how the best events in the industry create a smooth entry experience. We’ll share tips to: Design a great door or gate entry plan Hire the right people to support check-in Avoid common pitfalls that kill the experience Use technology to inform broader decisions Producded by: Tommy Goodwin Tommy is the Head of Field Operations at Eventbrite, leading a team of event professionals who specialize in developing efficient ingress and egress systems for the largest and most complicated events on the Eventbrite’s platform, including Governors Ball Music Festival, Tough Mudder, Tribeca Film Festival, Calgary Expo, and dozens of others. Prior to joining Eventbrite, Tommy was Co-Founder and Director of Operations at Ankh Marketing and Communications, a full-service event production and management company based in San Francisco. Tommy's past clients include NASA, Current Television, Red Bull, Pandora and Google. Keiko Tokuda Keiko is the Director of Marketing at Eventbrite, currently overseeing teams responsible for understanding and addressing big challenges for event organizers with Eventbrite's platform and tools. Prior to Eventbrite, Keiko held marketing positions at Google and led her team’s industry events strategy for 2 years. She began her career on the US launch marketing team for a Japanese sports drink company, and worked closely with endurance race directors as the official sports drink for their events. In total, she’s attended more than 150 events in her professional career and is passionate about identifying and improving inefficient systems.
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![Your attendee’s experience at
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5 Strategies to Keep Lines Short at Your Next Event
- 1. 5 Strategies to Keep Lines Short at Your Next Event [Your Name] [Today’s Date]
- 2. Your attendee’s experience at the entrance impacts their overall event experience. [Your Name] [Today’s Date]
- 3. Long lines leave negative brand impressions [Your Name] [Today’s Date]
- 4. Make sure you have a plan.
- 5. 5 Strategies to Keep Lines Short [Your Name] [Today’s Date] at Your Next Event Build a plan that’s right for you Communicate early and often Rely on technology to save time Prime your people for speed Use data to inform your entry plan 1 2 3 4 5
- 6. Build a Plan That’s Right For You [Your Name] [Today’s Date]
- 7. Eventbrite’s map for Ticket scanning area 5 18” wide tables 6 bag checkers 6 ticket scanners 2 wristbanders Ticket sales area 4 8 ft tables 8 chairs 6 sales devices 6 ticket sellers 1 box office manager 1 customer service rep [Your Name] [Today’s Date] Maker Faire
- 8. Example of consumer convention map Badge Pick Up [Your Name] [Today’s Date] Waiting Area
- 9. Multiple entrances can pose multiple challenges [Your Name] [Today’s Date] 1 2 3
- 10. General rules to keep in mind • Put box offices near the entrance but not too close • Ticket sales, will call and customer service should be [Your Name] [Today’s Date] close to each other • Offer VIPs a speed lane or separate entrance • Put security screenings before ticket checkpoint • Put information booths inside but close to entry to be able to direct people there
- 11. Planning your gate design [Your Name] [Today’s Date] 1. How many lanes do I need? 2. How many devices do I need? 3. How many people do I need? Scanning speed Expected # of attendees Target wait time 8000 1000 / hour 30 minutes
- 12. Don’t forget your exit strategy. [Your Name] [Today’s Date]
- 13. Communicate Early and Often [Your Name] [Today’s Date]
- 14. Provide the basics and tips on your site [Your Name] [Today’s Date]
- 15. Remind guests on order confirmations & tickets [Your Name] [Today’s Date]
- 16. Encourage early arrival to avoid long lines [Your Name] [Today’s Date]
- 17. Set expectations and share tips on social media [Your Name] [Today’s Date]
- 18. Provide venue maps • On your site • Mobile maps • Printed maps at [Your Name] [Today’s Date] all entry points
- 19. Create prominent signage to guide the way [Your Name] [Today’s Date]
- 20. Rely on technology to save time [Your Name] [Today’s Date]
- 21. Use mobile ticket scanners for [Your Name] [Today’s Date] flexibility and speed
- 22. Gilroy Garlic Festival uses Eventbrite’s fast, mobile point of sale solution [Your Name] [Today’s Date]
- 23. Prime your people for speed [Your Name] [Today’s Date]
- 24. [Your Name] [Today’s Date] Create a lot of little tasks • Ticket scanning • Bag check • ID check • Badge distribution • Lanyards • Goodie bags • Customer service
- 25. Recruit and on-board your volunteers [Your Name] [Today’s Date] • Set expectations • Clear directions • Keep lines of communication open
- 26. Host an on-site orientation • Venue tour • Share the event schedule • Remind them of [Your Name] [Today’s Date] the rules they need to enforce
- 27. Rely on a professional security company for [Your Name] [Today’s Date] faster ID and bag checks
- 28. Rely on your own team with money and have an onsite supervisor empowered to make decisions [Your Name] [Today’s Date]
- 29. Use data to inform your entry plan [Your Name] [Today’s Date]
- 30. Inform your strategy based on past data • Estimated number of attendees • Know when rushes are • Figure out your scan rate • Set up your check-in process • Determine when you open doors [Your Name] [Today’s Date]
- 31. See how many people actually showed up [Your Name] [Today’s Date]
- 32. Analyze peak check-in times [Your Name] [Today’s Date]
- 33. Drill in hour-by-hour entry data [Your Name] [Today’s Date]
- 34. 5 Strategies to Keep Lines Short [Your Name] [Today’s Date] at Your Next Event 1. Build a plan that’s right for you 2. Communicate early and often 3. Rely on technology to save time 4. Prime your people for speed 5. Use data to inform your entry plan
- 35. [Your Name] [Today’s Date] Hosting an event? Talk to an Eventbrite expert at 1-800-350-8850. We’re available 24/7!
Editor's Notes
- Thank you for joining us today for our webinar on 5 strategies to keep your lines short at your next event. Today, we’re going to be sharing some real examples, and practical tips to manage your event entry that you can start using immediately. So with that, let’s start by introducing our speakers.
- Thanks Tommy. So why are you all here today? It’s because you care a lot about creating a great event experience for your attendees. And you know that it’s not just about securing the best speakers or bands, or the food and drinks – it’s about creating a seamless entry experience that sets the right tone, and helps you start your event on the right foot…
- And the last thing you want is for people to know your event as the one with notoriously long lines, because that kind of reputation can really hurt your future sales.
- So that’s why you’re here. To make sure you have a plan to manage your event entry efficiently.
- And Tommy and I are going to walk you through each of these 5 strategies today.
- 8 scanners at open 6 scanners after East Gate rush 6 ticket sales stations 1 customer service station Ticket scanning area 5 18” wide tables 6 bag checkers 6 ticket scanners 2 wrist banders Ticket sales area 4 8ft tables 8 chairs 6 ATD pro units 6 ticket sellers 1 box office manager 1 customer service rep
- 8 scanners at open 6 scanners after East Gate rush 6 ticket sales stations 1 customer service station Ticket scanning area 5 18” wide tables 6 bag checkers 6 ticket scanners 2 wrist banders Ticket sales area 4 8ft tables 8 chairs 6 ATD pro units 6 ticket sellers 1 box office manager 1 customer service rep
- Even the best laid plans are bound to run into issues on the day of. But the more you can prepare attendees in advance, it will help reduce confusion and delays. So let’s talk about how you can communicate with your attendees – early and often.
- You want to make sure to share basic do’s and don’ts on your website or event page -- What can they bring in, what they can’t. When, where and how to check in. Remember, the more clearly you can lay out the rules for people to know in advance, the better they can prepare. You can even include tips like this one, to check in 1 hour earlier than your start time for those who want to avoid the rush to check in.
- You should include quick reminders on tickets and confirmation pages. This is an example of how you can customize the message to show automatically in Eventbrite. If gates open at a certain time, or VIP access gets special services, or if “Everyone in your party must be present for admission”, you want to include this on your order confirmation and tickets. For mobile tickets, add a link to a mobile landing page with additional information.
- Encouraging people to arrive earlier is one way to avoid the opening rush, like for events with scheduled performances or special appearances. This event even gave a complimentary drink to people who showed up when doors opened, which is a small price to pay to make sure you give your attendees a great experience, and avoid long lines and delays.
- If you know you’re expecting a lot of people, it’s unavoidable to have some long lines. In those cases, it’s important to set people’s expectations. You can use your social media channels and email to let people know what to expect and remind them of the rules and information that will help them get to the venue and through check-in quickly.
- You want to familiarize your attendees with the venue or convention layout in advance so include a map on your website or event page. You get major bonus points if have a mobile-optimized map or a mobile app like Governors Ball with an interactive map because people will have their phones at your event. And make sure to include a printed map at all entry points.
- Once your attendees are in the event, make sure you follow through your great directions and communication with prominent signage throughout your event. Use a lot of clear signs so it’s easy for people to know where to go and what to do once they’ve arrived, and where they can find concessions, restrooms, and first aid. Don’t be afraid to be creative. You can use this type of stair stenciling to help guide your guests to the next session. Either way, be sure to communicate early and often with your attendees to help them get in and navigate through your event. Now, I’ll pass it back to Tommy.
- So you’ve got a great entry plan, you’ve sent your attendees the right information, and now you’ve got the right technology to get people through the gates. Nothing could go wrong, right? Well, you’ve got to make sure you’ve hired and trained the right people for the task to get people through the door. So let’s talk about that.
- First of all, you want to make sure that you break everything that needs to get done into lots of little tasks. Each person you hire and train should be responsible for one of these tasks you see on the screen. If you require “wearables” like bracelets, badges, lanyards, or hand stamps, it’s best to have separate ID distribution and badge/ticket scanning stations. We’ve seen that wrist-banding can take twice as long as ticket scanning, so it’s best to have 2 dedicated wristband volunteers for every 1 ticket scanner to keep things moving. By providing your staff with focus, you can train them faster and replace them more easily when they go off on breaks.
- Many of you, if not all of you, will need volunteers to help you with your event operations. Setting the right tone and expectation during the recruitment process is key in making sure you hire the right people for the job. This is an event page that’s been created to recruit volunteers with the roles they’re looking to fill. Once people sign up to volunteer, you want to welcome them with an email and provide important information about the event, a calendar of activities leading up to the event, and make yourself available to answer their questions.
- Once you’ve got your volunteers together, you want to have an on-site orientation. Get your entire entry management team together as close to the event’s opening time as possible. Do a walkthrough of the venue and give them hands-on practice with the devices and procedures they’ll use for check-in. It’s also a great time to excite them, instill confidence, and say “Thank you.”
- When it comes to high security events like festivals where you’re serving alcohol or need to check bags for harmful or illegal objects, you want to rely on a professional security company. It’s not a good idea to place your own staff or volunteers in the role of “bad cop,” and your professional security team is faster and better trained to screen IDs and personal belongings to keep lines moving.
- You can rely on volunteers and professionals when it comes to event entry, but somethings you’ve got to handle on your own. And that’s where cash is handled like at the box office and customer service. You might even consider having a supervisor there who is empowered to make decisions on the spot to keep things moving, and who can also provide the necessary checks and balances to keep your money secure. Remember to treat your volunteers like your attendees – with attention and care – because they’re the ones that will ultimately provide that great experience to your attendees. Now, I’m going to hand it back to Tommy one last time to talk about how to use data to help you build your plan.