An event that works has, first and foremost, an efficient access management system.
Every professional involved in organising an event knows how crucial it is to guarantee a smooth experience during one of the moments that act as the event’s calling card: check-in. Checks on entry to and exit from the event and from its individual sessions and rooms have to be fast and efficient and at the same time secure and practical, for staff too.
By now, talking about access control at events mostly means talking about software capable of managing the whole process (none of you is still using pen and paper, surely?) and about apps that let you do it in the best possible way wherever you happen to be, without being tied to predetermined structures or locations. But with a wide range of options on the market, how do we choose the right app for our needs?
To help you find the answer, we have put together a short guide summarising, point by point, the qualities a good product needs according to our customers — who have usually tried several before finding the shoe that fits.
1. Speed and efficiency: the key to fast check-in
A fast check-in process that avoids queues and excessive waiting is the best way to welcome guests to the event and to every part of it, from seminars and sessions to appointments with sponsors and exhibitors. For that to be possible, the access control app has to be not only technically capable — able to reach the relevant databases and record data quickly and accurately — but also practical to use, ideally intuitive both for the check-in staff and for attendees themselves, at events where people check in on their own.
2. Reliability and security: from GDPR to servers, the key word is (data) protection
The security of attendees’ personal data is certainly another crucial factor in choosing an access control app. So what has to go into the balance when you choose is not only GDPR compliance but also the security of the servers used and the presence of a protection system for transmitting and storing the data. And to seal it all, there will need to be adequate authentication for access to the tools, so that only authorised staff can use them.
3. Customisation: a good app adapts to your needs, not you to its
There is no doubt about it: every event has its own requirements, which is why it matters to choose an app flexible enough to allow features to be tailored to what you need. From the simplest things, such as being able to create custom fields, to the more structured ones that let it respond promptly and effectively to the event’s workflows and particularities. Because that too is part of giving attendees a distinctive experience.
4. Integration: seamless connection with your other tools
It may sound like a detail, but it is not. Keeping in mind how well the app integrates with the event management software you are using and with all your other tools, your own and your suppliers’, is essential. An app that interacts smoothly with the complex architecture needed to run an event, from booking software to the other organisation and management tools, makes the work both simpler and safer while allowing essential things such as syncing data in real time and guaranteeing efficient, error-free management.
5. Reporting and analytics: track and assess performance
To assess how effective an event has been and take informed decisions about the future, it is essential that an access control app offers the ability to produce analysis and reports, perhaps backed by software that lets you process the data and turn it into effective communication and marketing tools. From the simplest analysis — attendance figures, flows, what attendees did, how they rated the event and its parts — to more sophisticated processing, everything should be monitored so that it can be analysed. This is the essential information for judging the success of the event and being able to make improvements, if not in real time then at least for future editions.
6. Technical support and customer service: essential
The value of a product lies partly in the service that comes with it, and that holds for access control apps too, given how much they can contribute to an event’s success. So it matters to choose a supplier offering solid technical support and prompt, consistent assistance. The availability of support resources such as detailed documentation, tutorials or telephone help can also prove crucial for resolving any problems or doubts while using the app.
In short: while choosing the right access control app calls for an assessment that starts from the specific characteristics and needs of the event you are organising, it matters just as much that it has a set of qualities we might call universal. It is these that give the tool what it takes to become a genuine ally in delivering an event, and that should therefore be on the checklist every time you go looking for the best tool to use.