Using the previous Dashboard? See Organizer guide: Checking in Guestlist from the Web.
Check In is the Dashboard's gate tool. Choose what you are scanning, then scan, swipe, type or search to mark tickets as used. It shows who has arrived and who has not, and lets you look up any ticket's scan history or return a ticket so it can be used again.
Choosing a check-in tool
Showpass offers more than one way to check people in. Pick the one that fits the door you are running.
| Tool | Best for |
|---|---|
| Showpass app (iOS and Android) | Scanning at the gate with a phone camera. Showpass recommends the app for scanning tickets at events, and it is the only tool with offline scanning. |
| Dashboard Check In | A desk, laptop or tablet with a hardware barcode scanner, looking customers up by name, bulk check-in for an order, and returning tickets. |
| Box Office Attendance View | Seated events, when you need to see who is in a seat and check them in from the seat map. |
| Ticket Will Call printout | A printed backup list for manual check-in. |
Before you start
- Check In needs the Manage Check-in, Scan Tickets and Select Items to Scan permissions (Organization > Permissions). The default All Access, Owners and Ticket Scanners roles have them. Staff whose role only has Select Items to Scan can still choose from the organization's saved presets.
- Each ticket type carries its own scanning rules (scan limit and scan window). Set them before doors open; see Ticket type scan settings below.
- To let staff mark tickets as checked in while selling in the Box Office, ask Showpass support to turn on auto check-in for your organization.
- For a hardware scanner such as Scanner Steve, set it up and update its software before the event.
Where to find check-in
In the Dashboard sidebar, open Operations and choose Check-in under Entry. The page can also be opened for one event from Build > Events: the Check in icon on an event card loads that event, and for a recurring event all of its dates, into the scan setup. Inside an event, Check in is also listed under Operations in the event menu.
Direct path: /manage/entry/check-in/ on your dashboard domain.
Scan setup
Scan setup opens when you arrive and can be reopened from the button in the header. It decides which tickets the page will accept, so a ticket outside the setup is refused even if it is valid for another event.
- On the Item selection tab, pick Events, Products or Memberships, then search. For events, Single lists individual dates and Parent lists recurring events as a whole; Search past single events includes events that have ended, and Search date range filters by Date range start and end.
- Selecting an event adds it with every ticket type switched on. Switch off any you are not scanning at this door, and use the bin icon to remove an event.
- The right-hand column counts the Scannable items by Events, Ticket types, Products, Product variants, Membership groups and Membership levels. Reset clears everything.
- Click Continue.
Presets
A preset is a saved selection of events, ticket types, products and memberships. Presets save time when you run the same doors again, or when different entrances take different ticket holders: a VIP door and a general admission door can each have their own preset.
- To save one, build the selection and save it under a Preset name with Create preset.
- To use one, open the Presets tab, choose it under Select preset and click Continue. The right-hand column shows which preset is loaded.
- With a preset loaded, Update preset saves changes to it and Delete preset removes it.
Presets belong to the organization, so a preset saved on the Dashboard is also available in the Showpass app's Presets list, and the reverse.
The check-in page
The header counts Checked In against the total and the Remaining tickets for the current setup. The list on the right shows one row per order: the purchaser, the ticket type and event, and Tickets Used against Tickets Pending. The Tickets dropdown switches the list to Memberships or Products; those views are available when the scan setup includes memberships or products. The refresh icon reloads the list; the fullscreen icon shows the latest scan result large enough to read from a distance.
The panel on the left shows the result of the latest scan and, under My History, every scan you have made in this session. Each history entry has Item History, which opens the ticket's details and scan log, and Undo.
Checking tickets in
Scan a barcode with a connected scanner, swipe a card, or type a barcode or scan code into the search field and press Enter. With a hardware scanner, keep the cursor in the search field: the scanner types the code into whichever field has focus. Typing a name, email or phone number filters the list instead.
To work from the list, expand an order with the arrow at the end of its row. Each ticket shows its ticket type, Barcode, seat (section, row and seat for assigned seating), Name on Ticket, the time of its last change and its Status. Click Scan on the ticket. The status changes to Scanned, the left panel confirms the name and ticket type, and the counts update.
When you find a customer by name rather than by barcode, consider checking their ID to confirm the ticket belongs to them.
Checking in a whole order
To check in several tickets on one order at once, click the Bulk scan icon on the order row. The dialog lists each ticket with its barcode and status. Tick the tickets (or Select all) and click Check In.
Returning a ticket
A scanned ticket shows Return in place of Scan. Click it, or click Undo on the history entry, to set the ticket back to Issued; the left panel confirms Ticket returned and the history keeps both actions. Return a ticket when it was scanned by mistake, or when an attendee leaving the venue should be able to scan back in on a ticket with a single scan.
Ticket details
The info icon on a ticket opens Ticket Details: the event and date, Ticket Info (type and status), Purchaser Info, Basic Guest Info and a History table of every scan and return with its date and time. Use it to settle a dispute at the door, for example to show when a ticket was last scanned.
Exports and the Will Call backup
The menu at the top right of the page offers two downloads for the current setup: Ticket Will Call and Financial CSV.
Ticket Will Call is a CSV of the tickets in the setup. Sort it by name and print it as a backup list for manual check-in if devices or the connection fail at the door. It is also a quick way to get the names and email addresses of all your buyers.
Ticket type scan settings
Each ticket type in the event editor (Build > Events > your event > Tickets, then the edit icon on a ticket type) carries its own scanning rules on its Basic info tab.
| Setting | Where | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Scan limit | Scanning | How many times a ticket can be scanned. Leave it blank for the default of one scan. Set a higher number to allow re-entry. |
| Unlimited scanning capability | Scanning | Ignores the scan limit so the ticket can be scanned any number of times. |
| Custom scan start time | Ticket timing | Tickets cannot be scanned before this time. |
| Custom scan end time | Ticket timing | Tickets cannot be scanned after this time. |
| Force auto check-in on purchase | Purchase limits | Marks tickets as checked in the moment they are bought. Use it only for ticket types visible to sellers only. |
Auto check-in
Auto check-in marks tickets as used at the point of sale, so walk-up buyers can go straight in.
- For a ticket type, turn on Force auto check-in on purchase (see the table above). Every ticket of that type is checked in when it is bought.
- In the Box Office, once Showpass support has turned on auto check-in for your organization, POS mode shows a Mark tickets as checked in option when a ticket is in the basket. Tick it before completing the sale.
Other ways to check in
The Showpass app
The app is built for gate scanning with a phone camera.
- Install Showpass from the App Store or Google Play and log in from the menu in the top-left corner. Enter the verification code if one is sent to your email or phone.
- Open the menu, choose Dashboard, select the organization hosting the event and tap Check-in.
- Tap the event and Next, choose the ticket types to scan, then tap Start Scanning. For products or memberships, choose the Products or Memberships tab first, then the variants or levels. To reuse a saved selection, tap Presets instead.
- Point the camera at the barcode on the customer's PDF, printed ticket or phone.
The app shows a colour for each result:
| Screen | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Green | Checked in. The app returns to the camera after two seconds. | Let the customer in. |
| Yellow | The ticket does not match the selected event, ticket type, product or membership. | Check whether the customer has a ticket for another event or date, or whether the scan selection is missing their ticket type. |
| Red | The barcode has already been used. | Check History to see whether this is a re-entry attempt or a duplicate scan. |
After a yellow or red screen, tap Scan More to return to the camera. The magnifying glass searches by customer name for anyone who cannot show a barcode; watch for auto-correct when typing names. History lists this session's successful scans and resets when you leave the scanning screen. Stats shows live check-in counts for the current selection or preset.
For reliable scans, give the app camera permission, keep the lens clean, ask customers to turn up their screen brightness and hold the barcode steady in the centre of the scanner box.
Offline scanning (app only)
The Dashboard Check In page needs an internet connection. When the door has no reliable connection, use offline mode in the Showpass app.
- While still connected, tap the profile circle in the top-right corner and tap Start Offline Mode, then Start to confirm. Any current selection resets.
- Move to the area without a connection, choose your events and ticket types, and scan as usual.
- Before reconnecting, upload the scans from the device. Scans that are not uploaded before the device goes back online are lost.
- When you are finished, return to the Profile tab and tap Stop Offline Mode.
Attendance View for seated events
In the Box Office, Attendance View shows who is sitting in each assigned seat and lets you check them in from the map.
- Open an event that uses assigned seating and click View Event (for a recurring event, expand View Dates first).
- Switch the map from All to Reserved to show sold seats.
- Hover over a seat to see the customer, then click it to open their transaction.
- Click View More and tick the barcode to check the customer in. The three-dot menu on the transaction also offers an exchange.
- Click Close, switch back to All to return to selling, and use the X to leave the map.
Scan history reports
Run these from Reports when you need a record beyond the check-in page.
- Ticket Scan History Report: when each ticket was scanned in and out, with its status changes. Use the CSV to audit a claim that someone was never scanned in, choosing events, ticket types, products, columns and a date range. The PDF graphs scans per ticket type over time, which helps forecast staffing and see which tickets are used most.
- Employee Scan History Report (PDF only): how many tickets each employee scanned in each time frame, which shows the busiest entrances for future staffing.
Both reports can be emailed and scheduled.
What attendees see
- Attendees show the barcode on their ticket PDF, a printed copy or their phone. Bright screens scan fastest.
- A ticket with the default scan limit gets in once. Re-entry works when the ticket type allows more scans, or when staff return the ticket after the first scan.
- Tickets for walk-up purchases with auto check-in are already checked in, so the buyer goes straight in.
- An attendee found by name may be asked for ID to confirm the ticket is theirs.
Limitations
- The Dashboard Check In page has no offline mode; offline scanning is in the Showpass app only.
- Offline mode can only be started while connected. If two devices scan the same code offline, both accept it and an error shows when offline mode is stopped. Scanning the same code twice on one device shows the already-scanned error.
- Attendance View works for assigned seating only. It does not cover general admission areas or memberships.
- Force auto check-in on purchase is meant for ticket types visible to sellers only.
- The parent ticket of a ticket package cannot be scanned. Scan the individual tickets included in the package.
- Scan history in the app resets each time you leave the scanning screen. On the Dashboard, My History covers your current session; Ticket Details keeps the full history for each ticket.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | What to do |
|---|---|
| Ticket matching code not found | The code is mistyped or belongs to an item outside the scan setup. Check the code, search by the customer's name, or add the ticket type in Scan setup. |
| Ticket already scanned | Open Item History or Ticket Details and check the time of the last scan. A scan a few seconds earlier is usually a double scan from the scanner; let the customer in. An earlier scan means the ticket was already used: decide on re-entry, and return the ticket if you allow it. |
| Ticket is for the wrong event | The ticket belongs to another event, date or ticket type. Check the date on the customer's ticket, and if it is valid for this door, add its ticket type to the scan setup or preset. |
| Ticket refused before doors or after the event | The ticket type has a Custom scan start time or Custom scan end time. Adjust the scan window in the ticket type editor if the gate times have changed. |
| A scan from the hardware scanner does not register | Click into the search field so the cursor is there, then scan again. For Scanner Steve, unplug and reconnect the cables between the scanner and the iPad. |
| A customer cannot be found by name | They may not have a ticket for the events or ticket types in the current setup. Search by email or phone number, or check the event's Transactions. |
| The Memberships or Products view is greyed out | The scan setup has no memberships or products. Add them in Scan setup. |
| Parent tickets of ticket packages cannot be scanned! | The code belongs to the package itself. Scan the tickets included in the package instead. |
Related pages
- Scanning – mobile app: the full app guide, including presets and offline scanning.
- Scanning Tickets: setting up Scanner Steve and the full-screen scan view.
- Reports: running the Ticket Scan History and Employee Scan History reports.
- Box Office: selling in POS mode and Attendance View on the seat map.
- Seating maps and assigned seating: building the seat maps that Attendance View uses.