Fall is one of the busiest seasons for many events, which means your admissions and box office setup need to run without a hitch. In our latest webinar, “Smooth Onsite Operations Every Time: Day-of Tools for Fall Events,” we walked event organizers through everything they need to know to scan tickets, sell at the door, and take card payments like a pro this fall. Here's a recap of what we covered!

Getting your check-in and box office apps ready for fall

This session focused on getting the most out of TicketLeap's two mobile apps: TicketLeap Scan for checking in attendees and TicketLeap Sell for selling tickets at the door. We also went over how to connect the Stripe M2 card reader for tap-and-go payments onsite.

Our presenter Shane Winter, Senior Client Support Specialist at TicketLeap, walked attendees through live app demos, best practices for testing ahead of an event, and troubleshooting tips for issues organizers may run into most often.

Tips to keep your fall event running smoothly

1. Checking in attendees does more than confirm who showed up

You're not required to check in attendees to use TicketLeap, but Shane made a strong case for why most organizers should. Scanning in attendees helps with event security, keeps you honest about venue capacity, gives you helpful data for future events, and assists our risk management team with real evidence to fight any chargebacks. It also builds a dataset you can use to understand who's actually attending your events.

Actionable idea: Use TicketLeap Scan's ticket-type filtering to set up a dedicated check-in line for VIP ticket holders, and check the app's Stats tab throughout the night to keep a live pulse on attendance.

2. Set up your mobile box office to easily collect last-minute ticket sales

Selling tickets at the door is key to capturing last-minute ticket buyers, from passersby to attendees who simply prefer to pay in person. TicketLeap Sell, the mobile version of the box office, lets your team sell tickets right from a phone or tablet. You can pair this with a Stripe M2 reader to accept tap or chip card payments on the spot.

Actionable idea: Price door tickets slightly higher than advance tickets to nudge more people toward buying ahead of time. That way, you’ll have a better idea of your event’s headcount, while still giving walk-up buyers an easy way in.

3. A little testing before the event prevents a lot of stress during it

Here’s one of the key pieces of advice from the webinar: Test your apps and hardware at least three business days before your event. That way, if you need help troubleshooting, TicketLeap's support team has time to assist you before your attendees arrive. This goes for your Wi-Fi setup too. Scanning and selling devices should be on a dedicated private network, within about 50 feet of the router or extender, and with at least 10 Mbps of download and upload speed per device. For maximum security, you should avoid using public Wi-Fi from a venue, restaurant, or library.

Actionable idea: Comp yourself a few tickets through the box office ahead of time, then scan and void them. It's a risk-free way to confirm your setup works without touching your real inventory.

Top scanning and selling questions from webinar

Can more than one person check in attendees at the same time?

Absolutely! Simply add each team member as a user on your account, and they can log into TicketLeap Scan with their own credentials to check in tickets simultaneously.

Does the scanner work with printed paper tickets, or only tickets on a phone?

Both work just the same. As long as the barcode on a printed PDF ticket is intact, it scans exactly the same as a ticket pulled up on someone's phone.

How can I test the scanning app before my event without affecting real ticket inventory?

Comp yourself a few tickets through the box office, scan them to confirm everything works, then void them so they don't count against your inventory.

Where are the step-by-step instructions to add a user to the TicketLeap Scan app?

You can visit this “Add Users” article in our Help Center. In the TicketLeap admin, you can also find it under the Manage tab, and then Users. Essentially, all you need to do is enter their email address, their first and last name, as well as their role.

Watch the full webinar about ticket scanning and selling

If you want to see the full app demos, including the live Stripe M2 pairing walkthrough, watch the complete recording here:

Get a head start for your events this fall

Fall is coming fast, and having your check-in and box office tools dialed in ahead of time is one of the easiest ways to keep your events running smoothly and your attendees happy. Whether it's setting up a VIP scan line, pricing your door tickets strategically, or simply testing your Wi-Fi a few days early, these small steps now will give you more peace of mind later.

Next up in our monthly series is a webinar all about chargebacks, coming on September 16th. Register here to save your spot for this and all upcoming sessions, and keep an eye on our blog for more helpful event planning resources!