Exhibitions with a morning spike
Thousands of pre-registered visitors arriving at opening. Rows of kiosks keep the hall entrance moving.
Event Technology
Self-service kiosks that print in seconds
Desktop kiosk software for scan-and-print check-in. Attendees scan a QR or search their name, confirm details and walk away with a badge, while staff handle the exceptions.
- Scan, search or walk-up
- Local printing, works offline
- Tested hardware checklist
Who this is for
When desks cannot scale and queues cost sponsors
Staffed desks are limited by how many people you can brief the night before. Kiosks scale with floor space and take the simple 80% of check-ins off the desks entirely.
Conferences with a small events team
Three staff, eight hundred delegates. Kiosks handle the standard check-ins so the team deals with speakers and VIPs.
Multi-day and multi-entrance venues
Kiosks at every entrance share one check-in list, so a badge printed at the north door is recognised at the south.
How a station works
Five components, one local loop
The kiosk app runs on a desktop computer and talks to a scanner and a badge printer over USB or the local network. The attendee list is cached on the machine, so scan, verify and print are a local loop that takes seconds.
The cloud API is outside that loop. The kiosk syncs check-ins when it is online and queues them when it is not. The internet connection affects the dashboard, not the queue.
Walk-up registration adds a short form in front of the same loop, with payment if the ticket type needs it. The check-in and badge printing page covers the shared verification and offline rules in detail.
What we deliver
Kiosk software features
Scan or search
QR from the ticket email or app, or name and email search with fuzzy matching for the attendee who left the email at home.
Confirm and edit
Attendee confirms name and company, corrects a typo and the badge prints with the corrected record saved back.
Walk-up registration
Short form, selected ticket types, optional payment, instant badge. Restricted to the categories you choose.
Print rules
Template per ticket type, reprint limits, "see the desk" prompts for VIPs or unpaid orders, and session wristband or ticket printing.
Branding and attract loop
Event or sponsor branding on every screen, an attract loop between attendees and multilingual prompts.
Privacy and accessibility
Masked data, session clear-down, time-outs, large-text mode and a height and reach layout that works from a wheelchair.
The attendee journey
Twenty to thirty seconds, start to badge
Approach
Attract screen says "scan your ticket or tap to search". No instructions longer than one line.
Scan or search
QR read in under a second from a phone screen; search needs three characters of a surname.
Confirm
Name and company shown, edit if wrong, one large "print my badge" button.
Print
Badge prints at the station; the screen shows where to collect it and the lanyard point.
Reset
Session cleared, attract loop back on, check-in queued or synced. Next attendee.
Hardware checklist
What to buy or hire, and why
| Item | What to look for | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Kiosk computer | Desktop or mini PC with two free USB ports and wired Ethernet | Stable drivers, no battery, no sleep settings to fight |
| Touchscreen | Capacitive, 21–24 inch, landscape, adjustable tilt | Readable from standing height; resistive screens frustrate |
| Scanner | 2D barcode scanner that reads phone screens, presentation mode | 1D scanners cannot read QR; hand-held scanners get put down |
| Badge printer | Direct thermal, 4-inch width, USB or Ethernet, with the stock you will use | Ink printers are slow and messy; test with the real stock |
| Badge stock | Thermal-compatible, pre-cut, pre-printed colour where needed | Wrong stock jams or fades; order 15% extra |
| Stand or enclosure | Cable management, printer shelf at hand height, lockable | Loose cables get kicked; printers on the floor get ignored |
| Network | Wired or dedicated SSID, 4G or 5G backup router | Hall Wi-Fi is shared with thousands of phones |
| Power | Surge-protected strip per station on a known circuit | A tripped circuit should take out one station, not a row |
| Spares | One printer per four stations, cables, stock, a spare scanner | Swapping takes two minutes if the spare is on site |
We maintain a tested-hardware list per region and can validate the configuration your AV partner proposes.
Process
From floor plan to doors open
Size
Station count from registration volume and the arrival window, with a kiosk-to-desk split.
Configure
Kiosk modes, ticket-type rules, badge templates, branding and walk-up settings per event.
Hardware
Supply or validate hardware, image the machines, test printers with the real badge stock.
Rehearse
Dry run on the venue network, including a forced offline period and a printer swap.
Run
Remote or on-site engineer, station health on the dashboard, every check-in exported afterwards.
Related
Build the entrance end to end
Check-in & badge printing
Staffed desks, scanner apps and the shared offline rules.
ExploreRegistration & ticketing
The QR ticket the kiosk reads.
ExploreEventify platform
The platform the kiosk software belongs to.
ReadCustom software development
Kiosk and desktop software beyond events.
ExploreSee how kiosks fit the wider picture on the events & exhibitions industry page.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What hardware do we need for a self-service kiosk?
A desktop computer running the kiosk app, a touchscreen and a 2D barcode scanner or camera. Then a direct thermal badge printer, badge stock, a stand and reliable power. The checklist on this page lists what to look for in each. We can supply a tested configuration or validate the one your AV partner proposes.
Does the kiosk work without internet?
Yes. The attendee list is cached locally before doors open, check-ins are queued with idempotency keys and printing is local to the station. When the connection returns, the kiosk syncs and the dashboard catches up.
Can attendees register on the spot at the kiosk?
Yes, if you enable walk-up registration. The kiosk shows a short form, optionally takes payment, creates the attendee record and prints the badge. You can restrict walk-up to specific ticket types.
How is personal data protected on a shared screen?
The kiosk shows only what is needed to confirm identity, masks email addresses, clears the session after each badge and times out automatically. No attendee data is left on screen or in the browser history.
Can the kiosk be branded for our event or sponsor?
Yes. Welcome screen, colours, logo, attract loop and the thank-you screen are configurable per event, and a sponsor can be credited on the confirmation screen.