Participant Check-In for In-Person Fairs

Check participants in quickly, follow attendance live, and check someone in manually.

Article 12Fair organizersReviewed 2026-08-12

Goal

Help organizers efficiently check participants in at an in-person fair using a single QR code, while automatically tracking attendance and reporting.

When to use this

Use participant check-in when you are organizing an in-person fair and want to:

  • Check participants in quickly without manual lists or scanners
  • Ensure only registered participants are marked as attended
  • Check someone in yourself at a welcome desk
  • Automatically track attendance for post-fair reporting

Step-by-step: Checking participants in at your fair

1) Open the fair you are managing

  1. Log in to Withe.
  2. From your homepage, find the in-person fair you want to manage.
  3. Click View fair.
Open the fair you want to manage.

2) Open the Fair QR Code

  1. In the top right corner of the fair page, click Fair QR code.
  2. A modal opens with the QR code for this fair.

This QR code links to the main fair page where participants can check in. Participants who open the fair link directly are checked in the same way, so you can also share the fair URL.

The Fair QR code modal that participants scan to check in.

How participant check-in works

Check-in opens one hour before the fair start time.

A participant is automatically checked in when they:

  • Have a valid registration for the fair, and
  • Are signed in to Withe, and
  • Do any one of the following:
    • Scan the Fair QR code
    • Open the fair link directly
    • Scan an employer booth QR code during the fair

No additional action is required from the organizer or participant.

Because a booth scan also counts, participants do not need to pass through a central check-in desk to be marked as attended. Attendance is still captured accurately if they arrive late, enter through a different entrance, or go straight to an employer booth.

What this means for organizers

  • No missed check-ins if participants skip the front desk
  • Attendance data stays accurate without manual intervention
  • All valid booth interactions count toward attendance and reporting

Check-in status appears in the Registrations tab and is included in the post-fair reports.

What participants see when they check in

After scanning the QR code or opening the fair link, registered and signed-in participants will see a confirmation screen indicating they are checked in.

Confirmation shown to a participant after a successful check-in.

Tracking who is checked in

Registrations tab

Organizers can track attendance in real time:

  1. Open the Registrations tab within the fair.
  2. View the Checked in column to see who has arrived.

This updates automatically as participants check themselves in.

Live registration status at a glance

The Registrations tab includes a live status summary at the top of the page so you can monitor attendance during the fair.

This summary shows:

  • Total registrations
  • Number of participants checked in
  • Number of valid registrations
  • Number of invalid registrations

These numbers update in real time as participants check in.

Check someone in manually

You can also check a participant in yourself — useful at a welcome desk, or when someone cannot sign in on their phone.

For someone who is already registered:

  1. Open the Registrations tab.
  2. Find the participant.
  3. Click the check-in button in the Checked in column.

For someone registering on the spot:

When you create a registration on their behalf using Register → Organizer form, select the check-in option so they are registered and checked in at the same time. See 9. Manage registrations for the full registration options.

Other things you may need on the day

  • Reprint a booth’s QR code — if a booth’s signage is missing or damaged, you can open and print that booth’s QR code, or reprint them all. See 7. Invite and manage booths.
  • Search, filter, or email registrants — see 9. Manage registrations.
  • Stop taking new registrations — once you have the numbers you need, you can close registration from the More (⋮) menu in Registrations. See 9. Manage registrations.

Reporting and post-fair data

  • Withe automatically records all check-in activity
  • Attendance data is included in the Reports section once the fair is complete
  • Reports include:
    • Total registered participants
    • Total checked-in participants
    • No-shows
    • Attendance metrics used in post-fair summaries

No manual exports or reconciliation are required during the event.

Common questions

Do we need separate QR codes for check-in and registration?

No. The Fair QR Code links to the main fair page. If a participant is already registered and signed in, scanning it will check them in automatically. Opening the fair link directly does the same thing.

What if a participant scans the QR code but is not registered?

They will be prompted to register or sign in before they can be checked in.

Can organizers manually check someone in?

Yes. Use the check-in button in the Checked in column of the Registrations tab, or check the participant in as you create their registration with the Organizer form. See Check someone in manually above.

When is attendance data available in reports?

Attendance data is tracked during the fair and is available in full once the fair has ended.