Event staff check-in for a crew that's only here for the weekend.

How event staff check-in works

Print a QR badge for every staffer before the event. On the day, a tablet at the staff check-in tent scans each badge on arrival and again at the end of the shift. Leads at the loading dock or the parking lots scan with their own phones, paired as scanners in a minute. Staff install nothing and make no account.

A festival weekend with a 60-person crew:

Every scan records the time, which scanner made it and, if you turn it on, a GPS stamp, so you know the parking crew checked in at the lot and not the tent. Scanners are unlimited, so every lead can have one.

Print badges before the crew arrives

Paste your roster from a spreadsheet, and TrackBadges makes a badge for every name: credit-card size, eight to a letter page. Most events hand out a credential anyway, so slip the TrackBadges badge into the same holder and lanyard. When someone loses theirs mid-shift, reissue it in a click (the old one stops working) or type their PIN on the scanner. The QR badge maker shows what a badge looks like, and how to make employee ID badges covers card stock and holders.

Pay rules for long event days

Setup and teardown days run long, and the rules for hourly crews don't bend for a festival.

• Weekly overtime: the FLSA requires 1.5× the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. A crew that works Thursday through Monday can cross 40.
• Daily overtime: in California, hours over 8 in a day are paid at 1.5×, and over 12 at 2×. A teardown shift from 2:00 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. with a 30-minute meal break is 12 hours: 8 regular and 4 at time and a half.
• What's automatic: TrackBadges applies one daily and one weekly threshold. California double time beyond 12 hours and seventh-day rules are applied by your payroll provider.
• Forgotten scans: set auto clock-out to a limit that fits your longest shift, say 16 hours. A staffer who leaves without scanning out is closed and flagged, instead of running all night.

Run your own numbers through the California overtime calculator. This isn't legal advice; check your state.

Staff and volunteers on the same tablet

Many events run on a mix of paid crew and volunteers. Both check in the same way, and every person's hours land on the same weekly timesheet, ready to export. Volunteer coordinators get a record of hours for recognition or service letters; more in volunteer check-in. Everyone with a badge counts toward your plan, paid or not.

A headcount when the weather turns

When lightning or high wind clears the site, open the dashboard on your phone and tap Roll call. It lists every staffer clocked in right now, across every scanner, with a checklist to tap off each person at the muster point. See emergency roll call.

What it costs

TrackBadges is free for up to 3 people with every feature. Pro is $9 a month for your first 3 people, plus $1.50 a month for each person after that, so a 60-person roster is $94.50 a month at the full monthly rate. Billing follows active headcount and is prorated, so archive the crew after you export and you stop paying for them.

When it isn't the right fit

TrackBadges is for your staff and volunteers, not your attendees. It isn't a ticketing or guest check-in system, and every badged person counts toward the plan. Very large events with credential zones and access control need a credentialing platform. And the scanner needs a connection while it scans; at a remote site, bring a hotspot or use the production Wi-Fi.