How Blank Page Marketing enhanced their in-person event and created a safe and seamless attendee check-in experience

Since March 2020, the events industry has been operating in a continuous state of flux. From pivoting to virtual events, to learning what hybrid events looks like in practice, to reimagining what it means to host an in-person event in the midst of a pandemic– event professionals have been bold, resilient, and adaptive.  

So, what’s next? While there’s still much to discover about what events will look like in 2022 and beyond, one thing is for sure: in-person events are back on the menu thanks to in-depth coordination, creative thinking, and innovative technology.  

The definition of in-person event success has changed. Not only are event professionals aiming to provide an immersive event experience, they’re also tasked with prioritizing attendee and staff safety, without sacrificing the efficiency of their event processes.  

You’re about to learn how Blank Page Marketing, an advertising agency located in Indianapolis, Indiana, did just that by launching a hybrid event leveraging Webex Events Onsite Check-In and Badge Printing.  

Bringing together 750 in-person and virtual attendees including healthcare professionals, families, and government employees, this in-person summit took place in Indianapolis, Indiana and provided a space for attendees to influence positive conversations related to state-wide healthcare improvements.  

Whether you’re planning an in-person event now or you have one on the horizon, keep reading to collect best practices on how you can trade clunky badge printing and scanning hardware, unreliable internet, and slow check-in experiences for a safe, seamless, and immersive event check-in experience. 

The Search: Finding the right check-in and badge printing solution  

The event planners were tasked with launching a safe and streamlined check-in process for a large-scale hybrid event.

As the event organizers set out to find the right check-in and badge printing solution for the event, they had three main criteria:  

1. Streamline the check-in process 

2. Limit physical interaction between attendees and the check-in process 

3. Collaborate with a vendor team committed to helping them execute a safe and seamless check-in experience 

They were determined to select a solution that would truly embody a check-in experience where attendees could navigate the process without needing an on-site staff member to physically handle their ticket and badge materials.  

“It doesn’t matter how good you are at your job, problems are going to come up with events, so one of the things we always look for, no matter what type of vendor we’re working with, we’re going to look for somebody who is going to have people at hand for us to engage with and is going to feel like they part of  the team and is as invested as we are in trying to make the event a success,” Tiffany Obrecht-Johnson, President & Founder, Blank Page Marketing, says.

The event planners were responsible for executing a large-scale event during a pandemic, so health and safety were top priorities during the vendor selection process. The planners chose Webex Events (formerly Socio) for a variety of reasons but at the top of the list was Webex Events’ ability to power an end-to-end, self-service check-in experience, one that did not require direct contact between event staff and attendees. In addition to providing intuitive software, the Webex Events team was also highly motivated to help the planners launch a safe and successful in-person event check-in experience.  

As the planners narrowed down their list of vendors, it was clear that Webex Events checked all of their boxes.  

Now, it was time to put the solution to work.  

The Experience: safe, seamless, and efficient check-in and badge printing 

Crafting a limited contact check-in experience 

Attendees began to arrive at the venue at 7am ET. There were two check-in stations–– one at the main entrance to the venue and the other on the second floor’s main foyer. Each station included three iPads with stands and three printers loaded with badges––all provided in advance by Webex Events. 

“We really wanted to limit the amount of the typical registration process with the attendee experience, and the [Webex Events] platform allowed us to create a very user-friendly experience for the attendee, for them to come in, quickly look themselves up, either using their last name or QR code through their phone and ticket, find their badge, print it, and immediately immerse themselves in the attendee experience,” Obrecht-Johnson says. 

Once attendees arrived at a station, they could check-in at one of the iPads by scanning their ticket’s QR code from a phone or printed ticket, or by searching for their first or last name. All attendee data was imported into the Check-In and Badge Printing platform directly from Webex Events Registration.

The seamless integration between Webex Events Registration and Check-In and Badge Printing was a major benefit for the event planners. Since the event’s registration data was integrated directly into Webex Events Onsite, the check-in process was completely streamlined, as attendees simply had to scan or search for their name to print their badges. 

Branded badges, printed in seconds 

To streamline the check-in process, the event planners enabled the Fast Track feature which meant that badges started printing immediately after an attendee scanned their ticket’s QR code or searched and selected their name. When attendees walked up to the iPad and printed their badges, the process took place in under 10 seconds.  

The planners chose to have double-sided badges that included attendees’ first and last names, company/organization, and a QR code that attendees could scan which took them directly to the Webex Events branded mobile event app.  

Check out some of the app features attendees used during the event:  

• Shake & Connect enabled contactless in-person networking. 
• The Maps feature provided parking and venue maps for in-person attendees.  
• A link to a PDF of the conference schedule, so attendees could view the day’s schedule from anywhere, at any time. 
• Virtual and in-person agendas, so virtual attendees could join the session live streams and in-person attendees could find session locations throughout the venue. 

Next, attendees could select their own lanyard, attach their badge, and make their way to the rest of the conference.  

Fully customizable event branding 

The event organizers leveraged the customization capabilities of Webex Events (formerly Socio) to create a branded experience for their attendees. From the moment attendees entered the event space, they were greeted with branded signage. The event check-in experience was no different.  

The check-in page served as an extension of the event’s brand by featuring the event’s custom colors and logo.  

All attendee badges were pre-customized with the event’s slogan, name, color, and logo.  

While launching an in-person event during such an uncertain time might seem daunting, the event planners and Webex Events team proved that it’s possible to launch an effortless check-in process that promotes safety and efficiency every step of the way.

“I think the key is finding the the platform that matches the scale of the event, the type of the event, and the attendees that are going to be in the event itself. We felt that the [Webex Events] platform matched all three of those criteria as we were assessing this specific event, and I think if somebody else had the same type of experience that they were trying to create, we would definitely recommend [Webex Events],” Johnson says.

Seamless event check-in experiences start with Webex Events 

Are you ready to take your in-person event to the next level with Webex Events Onsite Check-In and Badge Printing and the Webex Events branded event app? Schedule a personalized demo with our team of Webex Events experts today!  

Interested in more details about Webex Events Onsite Check-In and Badge Printing? Check out this blog by Webex Events CEO, Yarkin Sakucoglu.