There’s a lot that goes into managing an event on a farm. From promotion, to logistics. Much of that work happens prior to the event, but there is still one aspect that is limited to the day of the event: check in.
Recently we attended a farming conference (NAFDMA) and were surprised to hear just how many farms were still doing check-ins using paper print outs of attendee lists. Print outs certainly can work if they’re your only option. However, with free tools like TicketSignup that offer the ability to do mobile check-in we think it’s a no brainer for people to make the switch.
If you’re still on the fence, below are three reasons why mobile check-in is a must have for your next farm event.
Improved efficiency
It’s not uncommon for hundreds of people to attend farm events on a daily basis. And for larger operations, it’s possible they get into the thousands. Having to manually sort through a paper list takes a lot of time with that many people. A longer check in process means you might need to have more staff to keep things running smoothly.
With a mobile solution like TicketSignup’s Tickets App all you have to do is scan their QR code, or search their name and you’re able to check them in immediately. It only takes seconds to do. Those time savings not only reduce stress for your staff, it also helps create a more seamless experience for your attendees.
Further, with a mobile solution volunteers and staff can simply download the app to their mobile devices which is faster than printing out and distributing physical copies. It also saves instances of people misplacing a list and needing to get a new one.
Last, with the Tickets app you’re able to set up check-in for general check-in, as well as individual attraction check-ins. For example, if you do a fall festival at your farm you might have additional activities like an apple cannon, or hayrack ride, that are sold in your store. With the Tickets app you’re able to manage both in one convenient place, as well as bundling attractions with tickets.
You could even use separate app configurations so staff working those stations only see people who have purchased tickets for those specific attractions. Limiting any confusion and making it a much simpler process for everyone.
Better security
Sometimes attendees lists have things like email, and physical addresses. Each paper print out of that information represents a potential risk for that information to end up with the wrong folks if someone misplaces it.
Also, if you have multiple points of entry for your event it can be hard to cross check if someone already came through. With a mobile solution when someone checks in everyone is able to see it immediately, preventing repeat entrances.
With the Tickets App presets and configurations you have control over permission levels for app users. For example, you could set it so volunteers are only able to check people in and allow internal staff or managers expanded capabilities like the ability to uncheck someone in or view personal information.
You can also limit the amount of information a user is able to see, or what types of tickets they can check in. This ensures that only the people you want have access to specific features, keeping your attendees and business better protected.
More in-depth insights
There’s a lot of potential data you can collect through the check-in process. Things like how many people who bought tickets actually showed up, and what time slots or events were best attended.
If you’re using a print out for check-ins you’re either missing out on all that data . Or someone has to manually enter it.That is incredibly time consuming and opens up a lot of possibilities for error.
With the Tickets app all that information is automatically collected and you’re able to view it in one convenient place. Meaning you get access to all the information without any additional effort on your part. Farms can use that data in several ways:
- Understand the no-show rate and increase ticket caps to match
- Evaluate the flow of traffic by arrival time stamps and open up additional tickets for underutilized times
- Determine the most popular attractions and use that as inspiration for additional attractions
- Create better staffing plans based on actual flow of visitors
Moving forward
TicketSignup’s Tickets app is a great way to upgrade the check-in experience at any farm event. It saves time and hassle, all while creating a better customer, and employee experience. If you aren’t currently a TicketSignup user you can create an event for a free account here.