How to Set up the Badge Scanner App

Learn how to setup an accompaniment app to scanning in your attendees through iPads and mobile devices.

Looking for an easy way to scan in your attendees into your hybrid events? One that can be done in a few steps with minimal devices? We offer that solution, as our Badge Scanner App is the perfect accompaniment to scanning in your attendees and easing the process of checking in individuals and printing their on-site badges simultaneously. 

Table of Contents 

1. Setting up your Badge Scanner App
2. How to Scan Attendees in for Check In 
3. How to Scan Attendees into Sessions

4. How Admins Can Create an Account for Exhibitors to Log Into the App

5. How to Scan Attendees into Expo Booths
6. How to add Gamification to the Badge Scanner App
7. Analytics for the Badge Scanner App

Setting up your Badge Scanner App 

1. Go to your main series Manage Event backend. 

2. Click Mobile App on the left hand side. 

3. Toggle on Scanner App On

This will enable the Badge Scanner app for you and your event staff to use when scanning attendees into your event.

To log in to the Badge Scanner app, simply download the Android or iOS version and log in using your BigMarker user information. 

 

Setting up the Printer for Badge Printing 

 

Set up the printer needed to print out the event badges when attendees are checking in to your event. 

 

1. Go to your main series Manage Event backend. 

2. Click Mobile App on the left hand side

3. Click to the Printer tab, then click New Printer

 

 

4. Title the printer and add the server for the printer 

5. Click Save

You can assign the printer in your Companion App, so in a dropdown menu you can click the printer and during check-in it will print the attendee’s badge to that printer. 

How to Scan Attendees in for Check In 

There are three different ways to scan attendees into your event. Any way that you choose to scan attendees into the event will then proceed to print out their badges. 

How To Scan Attendees in on the Event Check-In Scanner

 

1. Click on Event Check-In Scanner 

2. Scan the attendee’s personalized QR code.  

Afterwards they will be taken through your app’s check-in flow and then be redirected to print out their badge. 

To Check-In Attendees in on the Attendees List

1. Click on Attendees List

 2. Search for the attendee’s name and click on their profile 

3. Click Check In 

You will see a green circle with a check mark indicating that they have been checked in. They can proceed to continue the check in process.

To Check In Attendees on the Attendee Self Check In 

1. Click Attendee Self Check In 

2. Attendee will pull up their personalized QR code and hold it up to the QR code scanner 

The scanner will scan the attendee’s QR code where they can confirm their check in to your event. We recommend using the Attendee Self Check In on a separate device, such as an iPad. You can use an iPad to promote minimal interaction and increased health protocols for your event. Learn more about our touch-less attendee check-in here. 

After scanning in attendees, they will proceed with the check in process depending on your Companion App setup (learn more here). We recommend asking attendees if any edits were provided to make sure the data is updated before printing a badge. Let a BigMarker representative  know if edits were made to the registrant’s data on-site.

If attendees are required to submit their vaccination card to event organizers, they can do so on the Badge Scanner App (learn more about our vaccine card verification solution here), If the attendee did not upload a valid image of their vaccination status before entering the event, this will be flagged during check-in (as shown below). Event staff can then verify the attendee’s vaccination status before completing the attendee’s check-in. This works both for Attendee Self Check In and Attendee List sections of the app. 

 

Once officially checked in, they will proceed to an event staff to get their event badge printed out by the QR code given at the end of check in. 

Scanning in Attendees to Sessions 

Your event team or staff can manage the check in of attendees to individual sessions. Here, event staff can scan attendees into sessions, manage room capacity, invite more attendees into sessions if maximum capacity is not reached and verify the total amount of session check-ins. 

How to Scan Attendees into Sessions

1. Click the Sessions tab

2. Search or filter by your desired date to find a session

3. Click on the session tile to open a scanner section for that specific session

4. Scan the attendee’s QR code on their badge or their event app

5. Confirm the scan

That will successfully check in the attendee to the session. You can view the total attendance of the session on the session’s tile. This way, you will be able to manage attendance and capacity and invite more people into the session if needed. 

To prevent any double check-ins, attendees that are  already scanned in will have a “This registrant has been scanned already” message pop up at the top of your screen.  

If you are scanning an attendee into an event and receive an “Invalid QR Code” message, that might mean the attendee is not registered in the BigMarker System. If this happens, please direct them to a BigMarker representative to further assist. 

 

How Admins Can Create Accounts for Exhibitors to Log into the Scanner App

In this section, learn how to create an account for your exhibitors so they can check in their attendees and collect leads. More information on lead scanning and logging in can be found in this article. 

To begin, collect a list of sponsors. This list can include ready-made emails for each exhibitor, or, BigMarker can create an email dedicated to each sponsor. The email may look something like: exhibitor_date@eventname.com. An admin can also create a consistent password across all sponsors, or provide a unique password for each booth. 

The next step is associating your collected date into the backend of the BigMarker platform. In your list of Exhibitors, choose which booth you'd like to view and click Manage. 

Scroll down to Expo Booth Staff and click on Edit in the top righthand corner. 

Under the tab Basics, scroll down until you reach the Expo Booth Staff section. Click on the + in the righthand corner to add an individual to the booth.

From here, you can input all the information you've collected on the exhibitor's list. Save your information by selecting Invite. 

Once you've created your exhibitor, find them in the existing list of Expo Booth Staff. Select Copy Link next to their name. 

Open an Incognito browser. This step will allow you to create a password for your new exhibitor. Input your desired password in the provided fields. 

Once the password has been created, your account has been successfully set up. 

How to Scan Attendees into Exhibitor Booths 

1. Click on Expo Booths 

2. Use the dropdown menu to select the exhibitor booth 

3. Click Exhibitor Badge Scanner 

4. Scan the attendee’s QR code found on their badge or event app 

This will confirm the attendee’s check in to the individual exhibitor booth. 

As an Exhibitor or Event staff, you can scan attendees in and add notes as well as their lead potential. When scanning in attendees, an Add details will populate below their scan confirmation where you can label the attendee as a not sure, cold, warm or hot lead and add any notes to them as well. After entering in your notes you are able to confirm their scan and check in to the booth. 

The exhibitor can go to their Leads List Dashboard, on the Leads List tab, and view the attendee’s name and lead score. (Learn more about Exhibitor Booths here). 

 

How to Add Gamification to the Badge Scanner App  

 

Allow attendees to earn points that are reflected on the leaderboard through gamification on the Badge Scanner App. You can set up the ability to earn points based on set rules, add and deduct points through the app and view a history of each attendee’s point history. Points can be added manually (steps below) and in real time based on the rules set for points to be earned by. 

Setting up Gamification on the Badge Scanner App 

 

1. On your main series, click to the Gamification section 

2. Click New Rule 

 

3. Use the dropdown menu to select the rule type. This will be how the attendee qualifies for gaining the point.The rules that are available for use with the badge scanner app are: 

Gamification Rules

 

Check-in:

• Complete Check-In virtually in browser / through event  app / or in person
• Add a photo during check-in
• Participate in matchmaking

Sessions:

• Attend a session virtually via the event app or browser
• Attend in-person session (you must be scanned into a session through the Badge Scanner app)
• Favorite a session
• Participate in a chat
• Submit a Q&A
• Upvote a Q&A 

Booths:

• Attend a booth virtually via the event app or browser
• Attend in-person booth (you must be scanned into a session through the Badge Scanner app)
• Participate in a chat
• Submit a Q&A
• Upvote a Q&A
• Download a Handout

Home Page:

• Click any custom widget to get points (unique to the Event App) 

Overall: 

• Scan QR code 

 

• If you have selected Attend in-person session, attendees who have checked into the session will be able to earn points. Using the Badge Scanner App, Event Hosts will click to the session the attendee is checking into, scan the attendee’s QR code and the attendee will earn the amount of points set. The points will be awarded immediately 
• If you have selected Attend a session in series, attendees who have attended a virtual session or exhibitor booth will be able to earn points. This contains both watching a session through the Companion App via “Watch Stream” or attending a session or booth on their browser. Points will be awarded for sessions after they have ended and booth points will be awarded after the event has ended. 
• If you have selected Attend in-person booth, attendees who have checked into the booths will be able to earn points. Using the Badge Scanner App, Events Hosts will click on the expo booth the attendee is checking into, scan the attendee’s QR code and the attendee will earn the amount of points set. The points will be awarded  immediately. 
• If you have selected a QR Code as a rule type, you will need to enter in the QR code title and the link for the QR code. You can opt to include a link to the QR code or not. If no link is included, then attendees will still be able to scan the QR code and earn points. If they haven’t downloaded and logged into their companion app,  they will need to enter in their first and last name, and the email address they used to register for the event. Once saved, the points will be earned. 

 

4. Enter in the amount of points that will be given 

 

5. Select how many times the points can be given under the Frequency dropdown 

menu. You can opt to have them set on a one time basis or multiple times. 

 

6. Use the dropdown menu to select which series you would like the gamification to apply to. (This would be the series that encompasses all the webinars and other events where  gamification can be earned in)

 

7. Click Save & Exit 

 

This will establish the rules for attendees to earn points during your event. While Event Hosts will be assigning points to the attendees on the Badge Scanner app, these points will reflect on the Leaderboard in the Companion App. On the Leaderboard, attendees will see their total points and their current balance of points. Total points is the amount of points received over the duration of the event while current balance displays the amount of points that are awarded and deducted. 

For example, if an attendee scans a QR code for and earns 50 points and has a total of 150 points, but then loses 50 points for missing an in-person session, their total points would remain at 150 but their current balance would show 100. 

 

How to Award and Deduct Points

 

1. On the Badge Scanner App, under the Event section, click the Attendees List 

2. Search or scroll to find the attendee and then click on their profile 

3. Click Manage Points 

4. On the Award or Deduct tab, select to award or deduct points 

 

 

 

5. Use the dropdown menu to select how many points to award or deduct 

6. Add any notes to the points 

7. Click Submit 

 

Their new balance will be reflected on their attendee profile. Click Manage Points, then the Points History tab. You can view a history of all the points the attendee has been awarded, deducted, what those specific activities were to earn/deduct points  and the notes that correspond with each. 

 

On the backend of your event, you are able to see a history of every attendee’s points. Back on the Gamification section, click Download Reports to view an overview of all gamification collected. The analytics captured are: 

• First and last name 
• Email Address
• Rule Type 
• Points that have been awarded and deducted 
• Who awarded and deducted the attendee’s points 
• Notes attached to the points 
• Time and date points where earned/deducted 
• Total and current points

 

Analytics for the Badge Scanner App 

View analytics from your Badge Scanner app along the way or after your event has wrapped up. Analytics are automatically collected once the app is enabled on and is available on your main series’s dashboard on the Analytics & Reporting section. Click Download Reports and download the Scanner App Report ZIP file. 

After downloading the ZIP file, you will have 3 separate reports within: Event Check-In, Sessions and Expo Booths. 

 

Event Check-In offers analytics on: 

• First name 
• Last name 
• Email address 
• Registration ID 
• Series ID 
• Check In time 

 

Sessions offer an overview of all the sessions within your event and their respective data points. These include: 

• First name 
• Last name 
• Email address 
• Check In time 
• Check In type
• Pre-registered 
• Attended 

 

Expo Booths follow the similar style of sessions, where you are able to view all the booth’s analytics in this report. The analytics on these reports are: 

• First name 
• Last name 
• Email address 
• Scan time 
• Lead notes 

You can also click Refresh Scanner App Report to update the analytics for any of these reports.