QR code tickets: create them, send them, scan them at the door

What is a QR code ticket?

A QR code ticket is an event ticket in digital form. At its core is a QR code: a two-dimensional pattern of black and white squares that any smartphone camera can read. The QR code was developed in Japan in 1994 by Denso Wave, a Toyota group company, to label parts in the automotive supply chain. QR stands for Quick Response, which is a good motto for event entry, too.

On an event ticket, the code carries no web address and no advertising. It carries a booking code that belongs to exactly one guest. The ticket itself is a PDF or a wallet pass on the guest's phone, and a printout works just as well.

How is a QR code ticket created?

1. 01
   The guest is added or registers

   When a guest registers or is imported into the guest list, they get a unique booking code.

2. 02
   Design the ticket once

   You set up the PDF ticket and the wallet pass once, in your own design, with placeholders for event, name and code.

3. 03
   Send it automatically

   The ticket is attached to the confirmation email; the guest keeps it as a PDF or adds it to their wallet.

4. 04
   Scan it at the door

   The check-in app reads the code, shows the guest and marks them as checked in.

The first step is what matters: the ticket comes from the guest's record. If you create tickets in a separate tool, you have to reconcile the ticket list with the guest list later. If you create them from the guest list, the door always works from the current state.

What is in the QR code?

The code holds only the booking code, for example YWAEYRZ8. Name, ticket type, plus-ones or seat are not in the code. They live in the guest list, which the scan looks up. That has two advantages. If something about the guest changes, such as the ticket type or a plus-one, you do not need to send a new ticket. And anyone who photographs the code learns nothing about the person.

When the code is scanned, the check-in app shows the details linked to the guest, such as guest group, plus-ones, seat or notes. Your door team can direct each attendee to the right entrance, area or session after a short scan.

Scanning and voiding at the door

When a ticket is scanned, the check-in app checks the code against the guest list. If it belongs to a guest, the app shows name, guest group and notes and sets the status to checked in, with time and station. That voids the ticket: a second scan of the same code is flagged, and so is a code that is not on the list. Because every entrance reads the same list, switching doors does not help a copy.

This is built-in copy protection. Security paper and watermarks do nothing for print-at-home and mobile tickets, so the security sits in the list instead of the paper. Because the guest list updates with every scan, organizers always know who has arrived and who is still missing.

If the network drops, QR verification in the AirLST check-in app keeps running offline and syncs the check-ins once the connection is back. The same principle scales to large events with many entrances: Munich Airport checked in 80,000 attendees through 20 check-in points.

Scan, print, screenshot: what works?

Can you scan a QR code ticket with a phone?

Any phone camera can read the code, but reading is not the same as checking. To void the ticket, the scan has to run against the guest list. With AirLST, your team uses the check-in app for iOS and Android on an iPhone, iPad or Android device, and each device works as its own station.

Can you print a QR code ticket?

Yes. The PDF ticket can be printed or shown on a phone, and the check-in app scans a printout, a PDF on screen and a wallet pass alike.

Will a screenshot of a QR code ticket work?

Usually, yes: a screenshot carries the same code as the original ticket. That is exactly why the code has to be checked against a live list. The first scan checks the guest in and voids the code; any further scan of the same code, whether from the original, a printout or a screenshot, is flagged as already used.

What is the downside of QR code tickets?

A QR code is easy to copy, so a ticket image on its own proves nothing. It only becomes secure when every scan is validated against one central guest list. You also need devices to scan with, and a plan for guests whose phone is dead or who cannot find their ticket: in the AirLST check-in app, your team finds them by name search and checks them in with a log entry.

QR code, barcode or paper list?

At the door, barcodes and QR codes differ less than people often think: both carry a code that is checked against a list. The QR code holds up better on screens and when partly damaged, and any smartphone camera can read it. What makes the difference is the list behind it. Entry is only fraud-resistant when every station reads the same guest list.

Pre-event checklist