Check-in staff calculator
How many registration desks do you need so the queue stays short? Enter your numbers and compare manual check-in, QR scanning with badge printing, and self check-in kiosks.
Check-in times used: manual list search and pre-printed badge ≈ 45 s per guest, QR scan with on-demand badge print ≈ 12 s, self check-in kiosk ≈ 20 s (guests are slower than trained staff, but kiosks need no staff).
Rule of thumb: add one floating staff member per 4 desks for questions, re-prints and walk-in registrations. Numbers include a 15% buffer for slow cases.
How the calculation works
The peak arrival rate is the number of people arriving in the busiest window divided by its length. One desk can serve 60 ÷ (seconds per guest) people a minute. The number of desks you need is the arrival rate divided by what one desk can serve, plus a 15% buffer. We then check that the queue that builds up during the peak can be cleared within your acceptable wait time, and add desks if not.
Where the time actually goes
- Finding the name. Searching a printed or on-screen list by surname takes 15–30 seconds on its own, longer with accented or misspelled names. Scanning a QR ticket takes about one second.
- Finding the badge. Walking to an alphabetical box of pre-printed badges adds another 10–20 seconds per guest, and much more for badges that were never printed. Printing on demand removes that step.
- Questions. Payment issues, name changes and walk-ins slow every queue. Move them to a separate help desk so they don't block the main line.
Planning the morning
- Send every attendee their QR ticket by email at least two days before, and again the evening before.
- Open registration the evening before or an hour early to spread arrivals.
- Put kiosks at the entrance for people who know what to do, and staffed desks behind them for everyone else.
- Watch arrivals live and move staff from quiet desks to the longest queue.