How to Use QR Codes on Name Badges to Mark People as Attended for Events and Workshops

Not everyone who registers for an event (or workshop within the event) always attends. Having the ability to mark registrants as 'attended' is often important for the purposes of reporting and/or assigning Certificates or Continuing Education credits. While, historically, Member365 has allowed you to mark individuals as attended manually or using the attendance import feature; we have made it easier than ever to curate the list of attendees for import using QR Codes on the attendees' name badges.

Once you have the name badges set up and printed for the event, decide how you're going to distribute them. The easiest way is to file them alphabetically at the registration, so when the registrant shows up, you can easily find their name tag and give it to them. Please read this blog article for all of our suggestions to make your event check-in process as smooth and efficient as possible.

There are two ways to scan the QR codes. Either:

A) Purchase a specialized QR code scanner like this one (amazon.com -- amazon.ca). The advantage of this option is that staff and volunteers don't need to use their own phones.

OR

B) Download an app like QR code and barcode scanner (qrbot.net). The advantage of this option is that you don't need to purchase equipment. However, as is the case with any app, the free versions are often limited, and there may be a subscription fee to get all the necessary features. For a guide on using the free version of this app with iOS, please read this article.

At the Event

When a registrant comes to the event check-in table, get their name, find their name tag, scan it, and then hand it to them. For workshops, simply scan their name tag as they walk in. ***Note: You will need multiple scanning devices for simultaneous workshops, and you will need to ensure you understand the settings of the device or app you are using to make sure it is creating separate spreadsheets for consecutive scanning touchpoints.***

Importing Attendance

The QR Code on each name tag is unique so that when it is scanned, the scanner (or app) receives the Contact ID, first name, last name, and email of the person the name tag belongs to as a .csv file. The scanner then adds all these people to a spreadsheet that can be imported into the attendance section of your event as an .xls or .xlsx file. Please read this article if you are unfamiliar with the attendance import process.

Congratulations! You now know how to use QR codes on name badges to (mostly) automate your attendance-marking process.