Night-Of Playbook
Class Reunion Check-In Systems (the Night-Of Playbook)
Five systems compared - including the "just print a list" option, because it still works for the right size event. Plus the actual night-of logistics: staffing, lane count, no-show handling, day-of payment, and the moment when someone shows up with an unannounced plus-one.
The Speed Math
Why this matters: at a 100-person reunion, the difference between a 10-second and a 60-second check-in is roughly 50 minutes of queue time on a single-lane system. By the time the last guests reach the door, the cocktail hour is half over and they're already irritated.
| System | Per guest | 100 guests (1 lane) | 100 guests (2 lanes) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reunly QR scan | ~9 sec | 15 min | 7.5 min |
| Eventbrite QR scan | ~11 sec | 18 min | 9 min |
| Badge-pickup-only | ~17 sec | 28 min | 14 min |
| Paper list | ~50 sec | 83 min | 42 min |
| Hosted (vendor) | ~12 sec | 20 min | 10 min |
Times assume guests arrive evenly across a 60-minute window. Real arrivals concentrate in the middle 30 min - actual queue times are 30-50% longer in practice.
🎉 With Reunly
Reunly's check-in app moves guests through the door 5x faster than paper
Included in the $79 flat fee. No additional Zkipster license, no Eventbrite per-ticket fees.
Full comparison
The Five Systems in Detail
1. Reunly mobile check-in app
Speed
~8-10 seconds per guest
Cost
Included in $79 flat fee
✓ Pros
- QR scan from the guest's confirmation email or text
- Searchable by name, maiden name, or last 4 of phone for guests without the email
- Plus-one tracking - confirms guest brought their +1, captures the +1's name
- Offline mode - downloads the guest list to the device before the event
- Real-time dashboard for the committee chair monitoring from across the room
- One-tap mark for no-shows that triggers a 'we missed you' email post-event
× Cons
- Requires a smartphone per check-in lane (most volunteers already have one)
- Requires you've used Reunly for the RSVP - not a standalone check-in tool
Best for: Any reunion using Reunly for RSVP - included, no setup required.
Our take: Built specifically for class reunions. If you're already on Reunly, just use it. If you're not, this isn't a reason to switch unless you're starting from scratch.
2. Paper list + clipboard
Speed
~45-60 seconds per guest
Cost
$0
✓ Pros
- Cannot fail technically - no wifi needed, no app to crash
- Universally understood by any volunteer
- Zero per-event cost
- Easy to delegate to a non-tech-savvy committee member
× Cons
- Slow - bottleneck forms at any reunion over 75 people
- Hard to track plus-ones cleanly without redoing the list
- Late changes (someone RSVPs the day of, +1 swap) require re-printing or hand-edits
- No post-event data - no record of who didn't actually show
- Loses payment-at-door data unless you write it on the list with a pen
Best for: Reunions under 50 people. Casual gatherings. Backup mode when your primary system fails.
Our take: Always have a paper list as backup, even if you're using a digital system. Wi-fi at venues fails more often than you'd think.
3. Generic QR scan (Eventbrite Organizer, Zkipster)
Speed
~10-12 seconds per guest
Cost
Eventbrite Organizer: free with Eventbrite. Zkipster: $199-$499/event.
✓ Pros
- Fast QR scan from confirmation email
- Multi-device support for parallel check-in lanes
- Clean reporting after the event
- Built for general events - works at scale (1,000+ attendees)
× Cons
- Eventbrite Organizer requires the event in Eventbrite (per-ticket fees apply)
- Zkipster's $199+ standalone fee adds up quickly for class committees
- Generic - no class-reunion-specific fields like maiden name search or yearbook photo lookup
- Plus-one handling is awkward (Eventbrite requires separate ticket purchases)
Best for: Committees already on Eventbrite (Organizer is free). Large reunions (200+) where Zkipster's enterprise polish is worth the fee.
Our take: Eventbrite Organizer is fine if you're already on Eventbrite. Zkipster is overkill for class reunions; built for nightclubs and conferences.
4. Badge-pickup-only (no formal check-in)
Speed
~15-20 seconds per guest
Cost
Cost of badges + lanyards (~$1-$2 per guest)
✓ Pros
- Simple - guests walk up, find their badge alphabetized in a tray, put it on
- No tech needed
- Visually identifies attendees throughout the night without anyone having to be 'checked in'
- Combines well with paper backup
× Cons
- No verification - anyone who walks in can take a badge (gatecrashers possible if event is public-knowledge)
- No record of who actually showed - hard to send the 'we missed you' note post-event
- No payment-at-door reconciliation
- Late-arriving guests' badges sit out for the whole night even after they've collected them
Best for: Closed reunions where the venue is private and gatecrashers aren't a concern. Small classes where everyone knows everyone.
Our take: Pair this with one of the other systems. Don't use as your only check-in for any reunion charging for tickets.
5. Hosted check-in (venue or AV vendor)
Speed
Varies by vendor (typically 8-15 sec/guest)
Cost
$500-$1,500 for the evening - sometimes bundled with venue
✓ Pros
- Trained staff handle the door - committee can focus on the event
- Often includes badge printing on demand
- Venue knows the layout - they place the check-in table optimally
- Backup staff if one volunteer doesn't show
× Cons
- Most expensive option by a wide margin
- Vendor doesn't know your classmates - awkward when 'Pam' is at the door and the staff hasn't been briefed on her maiden name
- Locked into the vendor's tooling - usually a generic event-management app
- No post-event Reunly-style 'we missed you' email automation
Best for: Black-tie 50th-anniversary galas. Committee chairs who want the night totally hands-off.
Our take: Worth it for high-end events where the committee is paying for the experience. Overkill for most reunions.
🎉 With Reunly
Three of those five systems aren't free - Reunly's is included
Try the check-in app free for under-50 reunions. Pay $79 flat for unlimited.
The Night-Of Playbook
The minute-by-minute for the 90 minutes around doors-opening.
60 min before doors
Set up the check-in table near the entrance but not blocking it. Two tables side-by-side per lane. Power strip for charging tablets. Backup paper list under the table.
45 min before doors
Volunteers arrive. 15-minute briefing: how to scan, what to do for plus-ones, how to take day-of payment, who the floater calls when something weird happens.
30 min before doors
Test scans with 3 fake QR codes you generated for the test. Confirm wi-fi works. Confirm offline mode is downloaded as backup. Confirm payment terminal is paired and working.
15 min before doors
Cell phones on chargers. Music starts in the venue. Welcome signage up. Floater takes a final lap to confirm everything is in place.
Doors open (T+0)
First guests arrive. Volunteer 1 scans, volunteer 2 hands over the badge, floater stands by.
T+20 min
First rush. Lines will form. The floater opens lane 2 if the line exceeds 6 people. Committee chair circulates with a smile, not behind a clipboard.
T+45 min
Peak arrival window. All lanes open. Floater is now handling edge cases (unannounced plus-ones, lost confirmations, day-of payments).
T+60 min
Traffic drops. Close one lane, keep one open for stragglers. The closing lane's volunteer becomes the welcome host for any late arrivals.
T+90 min
Last call for stragglers. Mark no-shows in the system. Send 'last call' text to anyone who RSVP'd Yes but hasn't scanned in (Reunly does this automatically; otherwise pull a quick report).
✅ With Reunly
This entire playbook runs automatically inside Reunly
No-show flagging, last-call texts, day-of payment - all built into the check-in app. Don't reinvent it.
The Edge Cases You'll Hit
Every reunion produces three or four of these. Plan for them so you're not making policy decisions at the door.
The unannounced plus-one
Charge a $25-$50 day-of plus-one fee on the spot. Capture the name, add to the list, print a badge. Never turn them away - it embarrasses the classmate.
The 'I paid via Venmo but it's not showing up' classmate
Trust them. Add a note in the system, mark them paid, ask to see the transaction screenshot (most of the time it's real). Reconcile later. The cost of being wrong is $75; the cost of accusing them is the friendship.
The classmate with a completely different name
Search by maiden name first. Then by last 4 of phone. Then by birthday. Then ask 'who introduced you to the committee?' to triangulate. Reunly's check-in app searches across all four fields at once.
The classmate who shows up after dinner
If food is paid for already and they haven't paid, charge a 'cocktails only' reduced rate ($25-40 typical). Slide them in. Don't make a scene.
The guest who 'lost' their confirmation email
Ask for the email address they RSVP'd with. Search by email in the check-in app. Resend confirmation from the app if needed.
The day-of cancellation
Mark them no-show. Refund or not depends on your policy (posted on the RSVP form). If your policy says no refunds after 14 days, no refund. Send the 'we missed you' email anyway.
The crasher
If the venue is private and someone you don't recognize tries to walk in, check the list discreetly. If they're not on it, the venue manager handles it - not the committee. Don't try to confront.
🚀 With Reunly
Reunly's check-in app handles 5 of those 7 edge cases automatically
Day-of payment, maiden-name search, missing-confirmation lookup, no-show flagging, plus-one capture. The other two need a human.
The Pay-at-the-Door Playbook
Always have a path for day-of payment. 5-10% of attendees will need it regardless of how clearly the RSVP form says "pre-pay required".
Set up a Stripe Payment Link in advance
Free to generate in your Stripe dashboard. Add a $10-$20 day-of surcharge to the price. Print a QR code pointing at the link, tape it to the check-in table.
Have a Square reader as backup
~$49 for the magstripe reader. For the classmate who doesn't have Venmo and doesn't want to type their card into a QR-linked page. Square charges 2.6% + 10¢ per swipe.
Accept cash but record it on the spot
Mark them paid in the check-in app with note "cash". Treasurer reconciles at end of night. Don't leave cash unattended at the check-in table.
Avoid Venmo personal at the door
Venmo Friends & Family for business use violates Venmo's terms. Use Venmo Business (~1.9%) or Stripe instead. Saves you the "why is my Venmo account frozen?" conversation a month later.
💰 With Reunly
Reunly's check-in app processes day-of payment in 15 seconds
Stripe pass-through, automatic receipt, reconciles against the RSVP list. No extra terminal needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the fastest class reunion check-in system?
QR scan via a dedicated app: Reunly's check-in app or Eventbrite Organizer both run 8-12 seconds per guest. Paper lists run 45-60 seconds per guest. At a 100-person reunion the difference is about 50 minutes - the line forms fast on paper. For anything over 75 attendees, a scan-based system is worth it.
How many check-in lanes do I need?
One lane per 50 expected guests, with arrival staggering. If 100 guests are expected to arrive between 6:00 and 7:00 PM, two lanes will keep the queue short. If 100 guests all show up at 6:30 (a common reunion pattern), open three lanes between 6:15 and 7:00. The last 15 minutes of arrival are always the busiest.
What about people who pay at the door?
Expect 5-10% of attendees to pay at the door regardless of how clearly you say 'pre-pay required'. Have a Stripe payment link or Square reader ready, and a small printed receipt pad. Reunly's check-in app accepts at-the-door payment with the same Stripe pass-through fee. Add a $10-$20 day-of surcharge to discourage procrastination - this typically increases pre-pay compliance by 25-30%.
How do I handle plus-ones at check-in?
Capture the plus-one's name during RSVP - this is the single biggest difference between a smooth and rough check-in. At the door, the check-in system shows both names; the volunteer confirms the plus-one is present and prints both badges. If a guest brings an unannounced plus-one, charge them on the spot ($25-$50 surcharge is reasonable) and add to the list. Don't turn them away - it ruins the night for the classmate.
What do I do with no-shows?
Mark them at the end of the event (or have your check-in app auto-mark anyone not scanned by 10 PM). Send a 'sorry we missed you' email within 48 hours with photos from the night and the date of the next reunion. About 5-10% of no-shows will request a refund - publish your refund policy on the RSVP form so this is clear in advance.
Do I need to print name badges at check-in?
Two paths work: pre-print all badges and arrange alphabetically (faster check-in, awkward if names are misspelled), or print-on-demand at check-in (slower but lets people fix their preferred display name). For under 100 people, pre-print. For 200+, print-on-demand with a portable badge printer (~$300 to rent, ~$0.20/badge).
What's the day-of staffing for check-in?
Minimum: 1 person per check-in lane + 1 floater who handles edge cases (unannounced plus-ones, day-of payment, replacing lost confirmations). For a 100-person reunion: 2 lanes, 1 floater, 1 committee chair within shouting distance. Brief the volunteers 20 minutes before doors open - run through 3 edge cases so they don't freeze up.
Can guests check themselves in?
Yes, with a tablet kiosk at the door - works for under-50 attendee events, fails for older alumni who struggle with the touch interface. Self-check-in cuts staffing in half but increases the rate of errors (wrong plus-one, missed payment). For class reunions, prefer staffed check-in over kiosk-only.
🚀 With Reunly
Check-in is included in Reunly's $79 flat fee
No add-on for the night-of app. No per-scan fee. Built specifically for class reunions.
Skip the Clipboard. Run Check-In on Reunly.
QR scan, day-of payment, plus-one tracking, no-show flagging - all in one app built specifically for class reunions.