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Effective attendee management is crucial for event success. This guide covers how to track registrations, manage ticket purchases, handle check-ins, and communicate with your attendees.

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Overview

EventPalour provides two types of event attendance:

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Free Events

Attendees register through event registrations:
  • No payment required
  • Direct registration process
  • Stored in event_registrations table
  • Includes check-in timestamp tracking
Attendees purchase tickets through purchased tickets:
  • Payment via Paystack required
  • Ticket types with pricing
  • Stored in purchased_tickets table
  • Supports transfers, refunds, and scanning

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Accessing Attendee Data

Navigate to your attendee list:
1

Go to Manage Events

From your workspace dashboard:
  • Click Manage Events in the sidebar
  • Or navigate to /workspace/{workspaceId}/manage-events
2

Select Your Event

Click on the event you want to manage.You’ll see:
  • Event details and status
  • Ticket types and sales (for paid events)
  • Attendee list and registrations
3

View Attendees Tab

Click the Attendees or Registrations tab.For Paid Events:
  • View purchased tickets
  • Filter by ticket type
  • See payment status
  • Check scan status
For Free Events:
  • View all registrations
  • See registration timestamps
  • Track check-ins

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Registration Management (Free Events)

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How Free Event Registration Works

When an attendee registers for a free event:
  1. User browses events and finds your event
  2. Clicks “Register” button
  3. System creates event_registration record
  4. Confirmation email sent to attendee
  5. Registration appears in your attendee list

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Event Registration Data

Each registration includes: 
{
  id: string,              // Unique registration ID
  user_id: string,         // Attendee's user ID
  event_id: string,        // Your event ID
  registered_at: Date,     // When they registered
  checked_in: Date | null, // Check-in timestamp (null until checked in)
  created_at: Date,
  updated_at: Date
}

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Viewing Registrations

Your registration list shows:
  • Attendee name and email
  • Registration date/time
  • Check-in status
  • Actions (check in, contact, remove)
Filtering:
  • All registrations
  • Checked in only
  • Not checked in
  • By registration date
Exporting:
  • Export to CSV for external tools
  • Includes all attendee details
  • Useful for:
    • Email campaigns
    • Name badge printing
    • Certificate generation
    • Post-event follow-up

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Managing Registrations

Check In Attendee: 
1. Find attendee in list
2. Click "Check In" button
3. System updates checked_in timestamp
4. Status changes to "Checked In"
Useful for:
  • Tracking actual attendance vs registrations
  • Controlling access at venue
  • Collecting attendance data
Remove Registration: 
1. Find attendee in list
2. Click "Remove" button
3. Confirm deletion
4. Registration is permanently removed
Use cases:
  • Spam registrations
  • Duplicate registrations
  • Policy violations
Registrations have a unique constraint on (user_id, event_id), so each user can only register once per event.

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Ticket Management (Paid Events)

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Purchased Tickets Overview

Each ticket purchase creates a purchased_ticket record: 
{
  id: string,                  // Unique ticket ID
  user_id: string,             // Purchaser's user ID
  ticket_id: string,           // Ticket type ID
  status: TicketStatus,        // Current ticket status
  price: decimal,              // Price paid
  quantity: number,            // Number of tickets
  used: boolean,               // Whether ticket was scanned
  used_at: Date | null,        // Scan timestamp
  created_at: Date,            // Purchase timestamp
  updated_at: Date
}

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Ticket Statuses

Tickets move through various statuses: AVAILABLE
  • Ticket type is available for purchase
  • Not yet purchased
RESERVED
  • Temporarily held during checkout (5-15 minutes)
  • Payment in progress
  • Returns to available if payment fails or times out
SOLD
  • Successfully purchased and paid
  • Most common status in your list
  • Ticket is active and valid
CANCELLED
  • Ticket purchase was cancelled
  • Before or after purchase
  • Cannot be used
REFUNDED
  • Payment was refunded
  • Ticket is invalidated
  • Cannot be used for entry
TRANSFERRED
  • Ticket was transferred to another user
  • Original purchase record retained
  • New owner has active ticket
USED
  • Ticket was scanned at event
  • Entry granted
  • used_at timestamp recorded
EXPIRED
  • Event has passed
  • Ticket was not used
  • Automatically set post-event
ON_HOLD
  • Administrative hold
  • Fraud prevention
  • Payment issues
  • Requires resolution before use

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Viewing Purchased Tickets

Your ticket list displays:
ColumnDescription
Ticket IDUnique identifier
AttendeeName and email
Ticket TypeWhich tier (Early Bird, VIP, etc.)
QuantityNumber of tickets in purchase
PriceAmount paid
StatusCurrent status
PurchasedDate/time of purchase
UsedWhether scanned
ActionsAvailable operations
Filters:
  • By ticket type
  • By status
  • By purchase date
  • Used vs unused
  • By attendee name/email
Sorting:
  • By purchase date (newest/oldest)
  • By attendee name (A-Z)
  • By ticket type
  • By status

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Ticket Operations

Mark tickets as used when attendees arrive:Manual Scan:
1. Find ticket in list
2. Click "Mark as Used"
3. Confirm scan
4. Status updates to USED
5. used_at timestamp recorded
QR Code Scan:
  • Each ticket has unique QR code
  • Use mobile scanner app
  • Scans automatically update status
  • Prevents duplicate scans
Scan Data:
{
  purchased_ticket_id: string,
  scanned_by_user_id: string | null,
  scanned_at: Date
}
Unique Constraint:
  • Each ticket can only be scanned once
  • Duplicate scans are rejected
  • Prevents ticket sharing/fraud
Refund ticket purchases when requested:Refund Process:
1

Receive Refund Request

Attendee contacts you requesting refund.Verify:
  • Event hasn’t occurred yet
  • Ticket hasn’t been used
  • Within refund policy window
  • Valid reason (optional)
2

Initiate Refund

In attendee list:
1. Find ticket purchase
2. Click "Refund" button
3. Confirm refund amount
4. Add refund reason (optional)
5. Submit refund
3

Process Payment

System processes refund:
  • Updates ticket status to REFUNDED
  • Initiates payment reversal through Paystack
  • Increases ticket availability
  • Sends confirmation email
4

Completion

Refund completes:
  • Funds return to attendee (5-10 business days)
  • Ticket is invalidated
  • Cannot be used for entry
  • Availability restored for resale
Refund Policy Best Practices:
  • Set clear refund deadlines (e.g., 7 days before event)
  • Communicate policy on event page
  • Consider partial refunds for late requests
  • Track refund rates to improve future events
Allow attendees to transfer tickets to others:Transfer Process:
1. Original purchaser requests transfer
2. Provides new attendee's email
3. You initiate transfer in system
4. New attendee receives transfer notification
5. New attendee accepts transfer
6. Ticket ownership updates
Transfer Record:
{
  id: string,
  purchased_ticket_id: string,  // The ticket being transferred
  from_user_id: string,          // Original owner
  to_user_id: string,            // New owner
  transferred_at: Date
}
Transfer Rules:
  • Ticket must be SOLD status
  • Cannot transfer USED tickets
  • Cannot transfer REFUNDED tickets
  • Transfer history is retained
  • New owner receives all ticket benefits
Use Cases:
  • Original purchaser can’t attend
  • Company transfers employee tickets
  • Gift to another person
Temporarily suspend tickets for:Fraud Prevention:
1. Suspicious purchase patterns detected
2. Payment verification needed
3. Click "Place on Hold"
4. Add reason: "Payment verification"
5. Contact purchaser to verify
6. Release or refund based on verification
Payment Issues:
1. Payment disputed/charged back
2. Place ticket on hold
3. Investigate with payment processor
4. Resolve or refund
Policy Violations:
1. Ticket reselling detected
2. Terms of service violation
3. Place on hold
4. Contact purchaser
5. Resolve or cancel ticket
Releasing Holds:
1. Issue resolved
2. Click "Release Hold"
3. Status returns to SOLD
4. Ticket becomes valid again

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Attendee Communication

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Built-in Messaging

Contact attendees directly from the platform: Individual Messages: 
1. Go to attendee list
2. Click on attendee name
3. Click "Send Message"
4. Compose message
5. Send
Uses attendee’s registered email. Bulk Announcements: 
1. Go to event page
2. Click "Send Announcement"
3. Select recipients:
   - All attendees
   - Only registered (free events)
   - Only purchased tickets (paid events)
   - Specific ticket types
4. Compose message
5. Send to all

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Announcement Use Cases

Pre-Event:
  • Event reminders (1 week, 1 day before)
  • Venue/parking information
  • Agenda updates
  • Speaker changes
  • What to bring
Event Day:
  • Check-in location
  • Wi-Fi credentials
  • Session room assignments
  • Schedule updates
  • Emergency notifications
Post-Event:
  • Thank you message
  • Feedback survey
  • Event photos/videos
  • Presentation slides
  • Certificate of attendance
  • Future event announcements

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Email Best Practices

Effective Attendee Emails:
  • Clear Subject: “Action Required: Event Tomorrow” vs “Update”
  • Scannable: Use bullet points and headers
  • Actionable: What should they do?
  • Mobile-Friendly: Most open emails on mobile
  • Branded: Include event logo and colors
  • Unsubscribe: Respect communication preferences

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Check-In Management

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Check-In Methods

Manual Check-In (Free Events): 
1. Attendee arrives at venue
2. Staff finds attendee in list
3. Clicks "Check In" button
4. Attendee is marked as present
QR Code Scanning (Paid Events): 
1. Attendee receives ticket email with QR code
2. Shows QR code at entrance
3. Staff scans with mobile device
4. System validates ticket:
   - Checks if SOLD status
   - Ensures not already USED
   - Verifies event match
5. If valid:
   - Updates to USED status
   - Records scan timestamp
   - Grants entry
6. If invalid:
   - Shows error message
   - Prevents entry

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Check-In Station Setup

Requirements:
  • Tablet or smartphone per check-in lane
  • Internet connection (for real-time validation)
  • Backup attendee list (printout for network issues)
Staffing:
  • 1 station per 50 expected attendees
  • Example: 200 attendees = 4 check-in stations
  • Brief staff on:
    • How to scan tickets
    • Handling failed scans
    • Manual backup process
Backup Process: If internet fails: 
1. Use printed attendee list
2. Manually check off arrivals
3. Update system when connection restored

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Check-In Analytics

Track attendance patterns: Metrics:
  • Total registrations vs actual attendance
  • Check-in rate (% who actually attended)
  • Peak arrival times
  • Average check-in time per attendee
Example Report: 
Event: Tech Summit 2026
Registered: 250
Checked In: 218
Attendance Rate: 87.2%

Peak Arrival:
  Time: 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
  Count: 142 (65% of total)
  
Check-In Speed:
  Average: 12 seconds per person
  Peak Queue: 23 people at 8:45 AM
Use insights to:
  • Improve check-in process
  • Plan staffing for future events
  • Adjust registration limits (account for no-shows)
  • Schedule event start time appropriately

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Data Export

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Exporting Attendee Data

Export data for external use: CSV Export: 
1. Go to attendee list
2. Click "Export" button
3. Select format: CSV
4. Choose fields:
   - Name
   - Email
   - Ticket Type
   - Purchase Date
   - Check-In Status
   - Custom fields
5. Download file
Use Cases:
  • Import into email marketing tools
  • Generate name badges
  • Create certificates
  • Send follow-up campaigns
  • Analyze demographics
  • Report to sponsors

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Privacy Compliance

Data Protection:When exporting attendee data:
  • Only export what you need
  • Secure file storage
  • Delete after use
  • Comply with privacy policies
  • Don’t share with third parties without consent
  • Follow GDPR/local data protection laws

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Analytics & Insights

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Registration Metrics

Track event performance: Registration Trends: 
Daily Registrations:
  Day 1 (Announcement): 45
  Week 1 Average: 12/day
  Week 2 Average: 8/day
  Final Week: 23/day (urgency spike)
  Total: 250

Source Analysis:
  Email: 42%
  Social Media: 31%
  Direct: 18%
  Referral: 9%
Ticket Sales (Paid Events): 
Revenue by Tier:
  Early Bird: KES 120,000 (100 tickets @ KES 1,200)
  Standard: KES 162,000 (90 tickets @ KES 1,800)
  VIP: KES 87,500 (25 tickets @ KES 3,500)
  Total Revenue: KES 369,500
  
Sales Timeline:
  Early Bird Sold Out: Day 14
  Standard 50% Sold: Day 21
  VIP Sold Out: Day 28

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Attendee Demographics

Understand your audience:
  • Registration by location (city/country)
  • Ticket tier distribution
  • Registration timing patterns
  • Attendance rate by tier
Use insights for:
  • Future event planning
  • Marketing targeting
  • Pricing optimization
  • Sponsor reporting

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Common Scenarios

Problem: High registration, low actual attendanceSolutions:
  1. Send reminder emails (1 week, 1 day before)
  2. Require confirmation 48 hours before
  3. Implement waitlist for high-demand events
  4. Over-register by 20-30% (expect no-shows)
  5. Add small refundable deposit
Tracking:
Event History:
  Event 1 - Attendance Rate: 65%
  Event 2 - Attendance Rate: 72% (added reminders)
  Event 3 - Attendance Rate: 81% (added confirmation)
Problem: Same person bought multiple tickets accidentallyResolution:
1. Identify duplicate purchases
2. Contact attendee to confirm
3. Refund duplicate ticket(s)
4. Update inventory
5. Send confirmation
Prevention:
  • Limit quantity per email address
  • Show clear purchase confirmation
  • Add cart review step
Problem: Attendee name is incorrectProcess:
1. Attendee requests name correction
2. Verify identity (email, purchase details)
3. Update attendee record
4. Resend ticket with correct name
5. Note: Does NOT require refund/repurchase
Ticket Transfer vs Name Change:
  • Name Change: Typo correction, no ownership change
  • Transfer: Different person attending, ownership change
Problem: Attendee can’t find ticket emailResolution:
1. Attendee contacts support
2. Verify identity (name, email, purchase date)
3. Resend ticket email
4. Or provide ticket ID for manual lookup
5. Check them in manually if needed
Prevention:
  • Clear subject lines for ticket emails
  • Option to download PDF ticket
  • Save to mobile wallet (Apple/Google Pay)

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Best Practices

Regular Monitoring

  • Check registrations/sales daily
  • Respond to inquiries within 24 hours
  • Monitor ticket inventory
  • Watch for fraudulent activity

Clear Communication

  • Send confirmation immediately
  • Event reminders 1 week and 1 day before
  • Include all essential details
  • Provide contact method for questions

Smooth Check-In

  • Test scanning system before event
  • Have backup internet connection
  • Print attendee list as backup
  • Staff check-in stations adequately

Post-Event Follow-Up

  • Send thank you message
  • Request feedback/reviews
  • Share event photos/content
  • Announce future events

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Next Steps

Creating Events

Set up your event to attract attendees

Ticket Types

Configure tickets that attendees will purchase

Pricing Strategies

Optimize pricing to maximize attendance and revenue

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