This guide will explain how to set up session check-in using the Grip Dashboard, how it works onsite, and how to manage and export attendance data.
Table of contents
Using the Grip Dashboard, you can enable sponsors to collect leads from event participants in two key ways:
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Passive sponsorship: Companies generate leads when participants add their sponsored sessions to their personal schedules. Learn more in our article: How session sponsorship works and how to set it up
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Active session check-in: Sponsors or event staff scan participants' QR codes as they enter sessions, creating leads even if the session was not added to their schedule.
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Before You Start
To ensure everything works correctly:
- Every sponsored session must have at least one company profile assigned. If no company is linked to a session, the check-in data will not be available for export.
- Teams must be activated for lead capture and session check-in data to be available on the event platform. Leads will only be generated after the Team is activated.
What is session check-in?
Session Check-In allows you, your team, or sponsors to scan participants as they enter a session. This generates a lead even if the participant did not add the session to their personal schedule.
Use cases include:
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General Session Check-In — Event staff scan attendees for attendance reporting.
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Sponsored Session Check-In — Sponsors scan attendees to collect lead information for their sponsored sessions.
How to configure session check-in on the Grip Dashboard
- Ensure the company is assigned as a sponsor of the session using one of the two methods outlined above.
- Go to Event Details > Event Data Types > Companies
- Click the gear icon next to the relevant Sponsor Data Type
- Toggle Session Check-In Export to ON
- Go to Event Setup > Navigation
- Click Create Navigation Item
- Set Item Type to:
Session Scan - Under Session Selection, choose:
All SessionsORSponsored Only(restricts scanning access to only the sponsor’s own sessions)
- Assign this item to the appropriate Data Type (e.g., "Event Staff" or "Company Reps") so they can use it on the platform
Caution: To ensure badge and session scanning works correctly, all event participants must have a Scan ID added to their profiles in the Grip Dashboard. We highly recommend adding these Scan IDs through the available methods, including CSV uploads, native integrations, or managed integrations by our team (API pull) or your own (API push).
Note: A company profile must be linked to the session for sponsors to receive event participant data.
How to use session check-in onsite (via mobile app):
Session scanning feature is only available on the event platform mobile app.
To use this feature onsite, assigned users such as event staff must open the event platform via mobile app and access the Session Scan feature from the Session Scan Navigation item. They can then select the relevant session and begin scanning attendee QR Codes or Badges using their mobile device’s camera.
- Participants: Present their physical badge or in-app QR code to be scanned at the session entrance. It’s not necessary to add the session to their schedule.
- Company representatives: Must have Teams activated. In the app, open the More menu, then tap the Session Check-In navigation item. Use it to scan attendee QR codes as they enter.
Scanned attendees appear in My Team as leads and can be qualified normally. They can also be exported without qualification using the Session Check-In Export option in the Export tab.
Each scan is recorded as a session scan in Grip. If the session has one or more sponsors with active Teams, the scanned participant will be included in the Session Check-In Export on the event platform’s web dashboard under Exports > Export Session Check-In. This data is also available in the Leads export, which is accessible only to the event organizer via the Grip Dashboard.
There is no limit to the number of scans that can be performed.
Important notes:
- Session scanning is only available on the event platform mobile app.
- A company profile must be linked to the session to collect event participant leads.
- All event participants must have a ScanID on their profile for scanning to function properly.
How scanned data is managed and exported
1. Session check-in sponsor team: scanned event participants will appear under the Export section within event platform.
When the Representative scans the session attendee, the event participant is generated as a Lead on the My Team -> Leads page with the label 'Has attended in person [session name]'.
2. As a dashboard user with the appropriate access, session check-in records can be exported from: Insights > Event Insights > Badge Scanning > Session Check-In Records.
This section allows you to view all event participants' session check-ins. From here, you can export the data and apply filters to view check-ins for specific sessions.
FAQs
Q: Does session scanning create a connection between the scanner and the attendee?
A: No, session scanning does not establish a connection between the representative and the attendee.
Q: Do I need to enable badge scanning permissions before using session scanning?
A: Yes, badge scanning permissions must be enabled for the data types that will use session scanning.
Q: Is session scanning data included in the ‘Connections Export’ file?
A: No, session scans are not included in the Connections Export.
Q: How can I get access to the session scanning feature?
A: If you do not currently have access, please contact your Grip Account Manager.
Q: Can a representative use both a Session Scan and a Badge Scan for the same attendee?
A: Yes, representatives can scan attendees using both methods.
Q: Is there a limit to how many people can scan attendees at the same time?
A: No, multiple users can scan attendees simultaneously. If a large number of staff will be scanning, contact your Grip Account Manager for support.
Q: Is there a limit to the total number of session check-in scans during an event?
A: No, there is no limit to the number of scans.
Q: Does the session need to be live for check-ins to be recorded?
A: No, session check-ins can take place before, during, or after the session.