7 Line Management Tips for Large Events
When hosting a large event with hundreds or even thousands of attendees it can be difficult to get everyone into the event in an orderly manner without frustratingly long waiting times. Lucky for you, we’ve put together a great list of tips so you can keep long lines to a minimum and avoid grouchy (tweeting!) attendees. The last thing you want is to make your event notorious for its long lines.
Setup Multiple Ticket Scanning Lanes
Look at the number of attendees, and plan to have more check-in lanes than you think you will need. The more lanes you have, the faster you will be able to get attendees into your event, keeping them happy with a reasonable waiting time. Having trouble figuring out how many lanes you should have open? Check the number of attendees you will have against a target wait time you’d like to have for your guests. 30 minutes is usually reasonable for a very large event.
Ensure Multiple Points of Entry
Having more than one entrance gate will be important. Setting up two or three points of entry will help keep lines to a manageable length and wait time. When you have multiple points of entry, you can prepare for variation in crowd flux by looking at the layout of the venue and where your guests are coming from. Help out presenters or those with premium ticket options by having a separate VIP or fast track lane.
Put Customer Service Near the Ticket Lanes (But Not Too Close!)
Having customer service near the entry point will help streamline the process of checking in. In addition, it will keep those buying tickets during the day of the event from slowing down the line of pre-purchased ticketholders. If any issues come up, having customer service nearby will help keep the lines moving.
Prepare Guests Ahead of Time (Social Media)
Set expectations and keep your guests informed ahead of time before the event date. If your event is presentation or music-based, tell them what time they need to arrive at the venue so they can be in their seats before the presentation or music begins. Give them a map of the venue, inform them about available parking and anything else they need to have ready when they arrive at the gate. You can keep them updated and reminded by posting these things on social media as well.
Use Good Signage
One of the most important things you can do to keep lines moving is to have good, clear signage. Lost people leads to congestion and slow lines. If everyone knows where they need to go, there will be less confusion and a shorter wait for everyone.
Give Each Volunteer/Worker One Small Job
Whether you are using a paid team of professionals or volunteers to work your event, give each person one small task can help keep the check-in process running smoothly. Take the big task of check-in and break it up into small chunks: checking bags, scanning the ticket, checking IDs and handing out goodie bags. This simplifies the training process, streamlines check-in and makes it easier to swap out workers when they need a break.
Don’t Forget a Clean Getaway
Once everyone is inside, you need a good way to get everyone out. No one wants to end a long and busy day at an event and wait forever to get to his or her car. Open up everything, remove any barriers and make sure that people can leave en masse without having to funnel through narrow lanes.
Help keep your lines under control by following the above tips. If you’re well prepared, have plenty of lanes and a streamlined check-in process, you’ll have happy attendees tweeting about how fast the lines move, and not about how long they’ve had to wait!
