A smooth check-in starts before the first attendee reaches the gate.

Use this guide to prepare your staff, devices and entry process so your team knows what to do before doors open.

Decide how your gate will work

Start with a simple plan for how people will enter.

For most events, a good setup is:

Main line → Help point → Manager

The main line handles normal ticket scanning.

The help point handles people whose tickets will not scan, who cannot find their ticket, or who need more help.

The manager handles unusual cases such as walk-ins, disputes or decisions that ordinary gate staff should not make.

This keeps one difficult ticket from stopping everyone else.

Add the people who will help you

If other people will be checking tickets, add them to your Tambala business as Teammates before the event.

Each person should use their own Tambala account where possible.

Give gate staff only the access they need to check attendees in. More powerful event permissions should be limited to trusted organisers or managers.

Do not share the organiser's password with everyone working at the gate.

Using separate teammate accounts makes it easier to understand who performed a check-in and to remove access when the event is finished.

For the full process of adding people and managing permissions, see Manage Your Team.

Decide who can handle special cases

Not everyone at the gate needs the same authority.

Choose at least one trusted person who can handle situations such as:

Walk-in attendees.
Ticket disputes.
Already-used tickets.
Questions about payment.
Large groups.
Decisions about whether someone should be admitted.

Ordinary gate staff should be able to send difficult cases to this person instead of making up their own solution.

Open the check-in page

Before event day, open the check-in tool from your event.

Make sure the correct event is selected.

If you have several upcoming events, check the event name and date carefully on every device.

You do not want staff scanning tickets against the wrong event.

Test every device

Use the same phones, tablets or computers that you expect to use at the gate.

Check that:

Tambala opens correctly.
The staff member can sign in.
The check-in page opens.
The correct event can be selected.
The camera can scan a test QR code.
The device has enough battery.
The screen is bright enough to use comfortably.
Any sounds or alerts can be heard where useful.

Fix problems before the event begins.

Prepare your internet connection

Ticket verification may depend on an internet connection.

Test the connection at the actual gate if possible.

Do not assume that Wi-Fi inside the venue will work well outside at the entrance.

For an important event, have a backup connection available where practical, such as mobile data on another network.

If you expect a large crowd, test several devices at the same time.

Decide how many check-in points you need

The right number depends on your expected attendance, how quickly people are likely to arrive and how many staff you have.

The important thing is to avoid building a gate where everyone depends on one phone and one person.

For larger events, use several check-in devices or entrances where the venue allows it.

Make sure all staff are checking into the same Tambala event.

Prepare for attendees who need help

Decide before doors open what should happen when:

A QR code will not scan.
Someone cannot find their ticket.
The ticket says Already Checked In.
The ticket is invalid or cancelled.
Someone arrives without a ticket.
Someone says they paid but no ticket appears.
The internet stops working.

Gate staff should not invent answers while a queue is growing.

See Solve Ticket Problems at the Gate and brief your team on the common cases.

Decide whether you will accept walk-ins

If the event allows people to arrive and buy entry at the gate, decide how that will work before opening.

Choose:

Who is allowed to register walk-ins.
How payment will be handled.
Which ticket types can be sold.
Whether capacity is still available.
Where walk-ins should queue.

Walk-ins should normally be handled by a trusted event manager rather than every person scanning tickets.

Brief your gate team

Before opening, bring the team together and explain the plan.

Keep the briefing simple.

Everyone should know:

Which event are we checking in?
Where does the normal queue go?
Where do problem tickets go?
Who is the manager?
What should never be accepted as proof of entry?
What do we do if Tambala or the network stops working?

A five-minute briefing can prevent a lot of confusion later.

Do one final check before doors open

Make sure:

The correct event is selected on every device.
Staff are signed into their own accounts.
Cameras are working.
Devices are charged.
Internet is working.
The main line and help point are clearly understood.
Your manager is available.
Attendees can see where to prepare their QR codes.

Then you are ready to open.

The important thing to remember

The gate should be designed so that normal tickets move quickly and unusual problems move aside for help.

Good check-in is not only about scanning QR codes.

It is about giving your team a clear process before the pressure starts.

On event day, use Check Attendees In.

For invalid, missing, already-used or unreadable tickets, use Solve Ticket Problems at the Gate.