Planning a big event? We've put together a list of tips to avoid long wait times and keep guests happy.

1. Line Management Tips for Large Events

2. When you are having a large event, with hundreds or even thousands of
people, 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.

3. Setup Multiple Ticket Scanning Lanes
Look at the number of attendees you will have, 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.

4. Have Multiple Points of Entry
You should have more than one gate for your attendees to
enter by. Having 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
variations in crowd flux by looking at the layout of the venue
and where your guests are coming from.
Help out your presenters or those with premium ticket
options by having a separate VIP or fast track lane.

5. Put Customer Service Near the Ticket Lanes
(But Not Too Close!)
Having customer service near the entry point will help
streamline the check-in process. It will also keep those
buying tickets 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 those lines moving.

6. 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, inform guests
what time they need to arrive at the venue if they want to
be in their seats before the show begins.
Give them a map of the venue, tell them what parking is
available and what they need to have ready when they get
to the gate. You can keep them updated and reminded by
posting these things on social media as well.

7. Use Good Signage
One of the most important things you can do to keep lines
moving is to have good, clear signage. Lost people lead to
congestion and slow lines.
If everyone knows where they need to go, there will be less
confusion and a shorter wait for everyone.

8. Give Each Volunteer/Worker One Small Job
Whether you are using a paid team of professionals or
volunteers working your event, giving each person one
small task to do can help keep the check-in process
running smoothly.
Take the big task of check in and break it up into small
chunks: scanning the ticket, checking IDs, handing out
goodie bags and checking bags.
This simplifies the training process, streamlines check-in
and makes it easier to swap out workers when they need a
break.

9. Don’t Forget a Clean Getaway
Once you’ve gotten everyone in, 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 even get to their car.
Open up everything, take down any barriers and make sure
that people can leave en masse without having to funnel
through narrow lanes.

10. Help keep your lines under control by following these 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!