This article provides tips for conducting a smooth check-in/registration process.
You have choices to prepare your guests for mobile bidding and accomplishing registration and check-in either prior to or at your event. At your event, you can personally check everyone in as they walk through the door or, you can encourage a 'Self-Checkin' environment where guests create an account and download the Handbid app on their own. We have designed Handbid to be "easy to get" and "easy to use" for this purpose.
Here are some thought questions to consider as you plan for the check-in and registration process for your event:
- How long is my window for check-in? (e.g. are 400 people showing up in a 30-minute timeframe?)
- How many volunteers or staff will you have doing check-in?
- Registration/check-in
- Greeters (also help to manage crowd control)
- Bidding Helpers
- Live Auction & Appeal spotters
- Check-out
- How have you organized your check-in area? If a line forms, is there sufficient room to handle the volume of guests?
- Handbid assigns Paddle IDs. Factor this into your process. If you have pre-printed bid cards you will want to have a few volunteers who are designated to pull them and hand them out to bidders. Or, you can stack piles of bid cards next to each check-in volunteer to assign the paddle and handoff to guests.
- What information are you collecting at check-in? Do you have paper tickets or a list that needs to be checked for admission? Are credit cards required?
- What are you handing out at registrations? Are you handing out pledge cards, a program, bidder numbers, drink tickets?
- It's highly recommended to upload your guest list prior to the event, if possible. This will help to ease data entry at check-in. See more on Guest Lists HERE
- Is everyone required to check in or only those interested in bidding?
- Have you implemented pre-bidding?
Here are a few tips to consider when maintaining a quick and smooth process:
- Though it's always considerate to greet your guests and donors if you're able, try to avoid “chit chat” at registration, this tends to create a separate crowd as people join together to greet each other. Save that for later, there will be plenty of time!
- Minimize data collection by importing your guest list with as much information as possible, ask your guests to pre-register and, ensure your check-in staff/volunteers can type efficiently.
- Please make sure your check-in volunteers stay through the entire check-in time.
- Encourage pre-bidding. This helps people to get set up in advance and familiar with the platform. This will reduce questions at check-in and keep bidders excited for your event.
- Ask volunteers to encourage guests to download the Handbid App while they wait in line.
As mentioned in previous articles, the most important factor here is planning and anticipation of concerns. Have a process identified and ensure the proper training of your check-in staff. It is of utmost importance for check-in staff to be able to type, make eye contact, and be friendly with your guests.
Handbid has many resources you can use to streamline check-in. See the following section for many detailed documents & articles on your check-in process.
For More information: Check-in and Registration