Attendance Tracking

Attendance tracking helps you record who actually attended your events. This data is valuable for compliance, reporting, and determining eligibility for certificates. Medtribe offers several check-in methods to suit different event formats.

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Quick Summary

Track attendance using manual check-in, bulk check-in, QR codes, or self check-in. For multi-day events, attendance is recorded per day. Attendance data flows into reports and affects certificate eligibility.

Why Track Attendance?

Recording attendance serves several important purposes:

Compliance and accreditation - Prove participants attended for CPD credits or professional certifications
Certificate eligibility - Only issue certificates to those who actually attended
Analytics - Understand no-show rates and attendance patterns
Record-keeping - Maintain accurate records for audits or queries
Follow-up - Know who to send post-event materials to

Check-In Methods

Medtribe offers four methods to record attendance. Choose based on your event size, format, and preferences:

Method	Best For	Who Records
Manual	Small events, individual attention	Organiser
Bulk	Medium events, quick processing	Organiser
QR Code	Large events, entrance scanning	Attendee (self-scan)
Self Check-in	Online events, trust-based	Attendee

1. Manual Check-In

Mark individual attendees as present or absent one by one.

How to use manual check-in:

Open your event and navigate to the session
Click Attendance (or Check-in)
Find the attendee in the list
Click the attendance toggle or button to mark them Present or Absent
For multi-day events, select the specific day first

When to use:

Small groups (under 20)
When you're personally greeting each attendee
When you need to verify identity
Post-event cleanup of attendance records

2. Bulk Check-In

Mark multiple attendees at once - useful when you have a list of who arrived.

How to use bulk check-in:

Go to your session's Attendance tab
Select multiple attendees using the checkboxes
Click Mark Present to record attendance for all selected
Alternatively, use Mark Absent for no-shows

Tips for bulk check-in:

Use "Select All" to mark everyone present, then uncheck no-shows
Sort by name to quickly find attendees
Use search to filter the list before selecting

When to use:

Medium-sized events (20-100 attendees)
When you have a paper sign-in sheet to transcribe
End-of-day reconciliation
Events where most people attended

3. QR Code Check-In

Display a QR code that attendees scan to check themselves in. This is ideal for large events with high throughput at entrances.

How to set up QR code check-in:

Go to your session
Click Check-in then QR Code
Choose how to display:
- Display on screen - Show the QR code on a monitor
- Print - Get a print-friendly version to post
- Download PDF - Save and print later

How attendees check in:

Attendee opens their phone camera
Points camera at the QR code
Taps the link that appears
Confirms their attendance on the page that opens

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QR Code Placement

Place QR codes at entrances, on registration desks, or displayed on projector screens. For outdoor events, ensure the code is large enough to scan from a distance and protected from weather.

QR code features:

Unique code per session and day
Works with any smartphone camera
Real-time attendance updates
Attendees must be logged in to confirm

When to use:

Large events (100+ attendees)
Conference registration desks
Events with multiple entry points
Self-service check-in stations

4. Self Check-In

Attendees mark their own attendance from their booking page during the event.

How self check-in works:

During the event time window, attendees visit their booking
They see a Mark Attendance or Check In prompt
They click to confirm they're attending
Their attendance is recorded immediately

Enabling/disabling self check-in:

Go to your event Settings
Find Attendance Settings
Toggle Allow attendees to check themselves in

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Time Window

Self check-in is only available while the event is in progress. Attendees cannot check in before the start time or after the end time.

When to use:

Online/virtual events
Events where trust-based attendance is acceptable
When you can't physically check attendees
Low-stakes events without compliance requirements

Multi-Day Attendance

For sessions spanning multiple days, attendance is tracked separately for each day.

How Multi-Day Tracking Works

Each day within the session has its own attendance column
You can mark present/absent for each day independently
An attendee might be present Day 1, absent Day 2, present Day 3
Check-in using any method records for the current day

Selecting the Day to Record

When recording attendance for multi-day events:

Go to the Attendance tab
Select the day you want to record (Day 1, Day 2, etc.)
Mark attendance for that specific day
Switch days to record other days' attendance

Viewing Per-Day Status

The attendance view shows:

Columns for each day of the session
Present/Absent status per day per attendee
Overall attendance status (Attended, Partial, Absent)

Attendance Statuses

Attendance records show one of three statuses:

Status	Meaning	Certificate Eligible?
Attended	Present for all days of the session	Yes
Partially Attended	Present for some but not all days	Depends on requirements
Absent	Not marked present for any days	No

How Status is Calculated

Single-day sessions: Present = Attended, Not present = Absent
Multi-day sessions:
- Present ALL days = Attended
- Present SOME days = Partially Attended
- Present NO days = Absent

Attendance and Certificates

Attendance directly affects certificate eligibility:

Attendance Requirements

When configuring certificates, you can set attendance requirements:

Full attendance required - Only those marked "Attended" can receive certificates
Partial attendance allowed - Those with "Partially Attended" also qualify
No requirement - Certificates issued regardless of attendance

Automatic Certificate Generation

If you've configured automatic certificate generation:

Certificates are generated when attendance is marked
Only attendees meeting the requirement receive certificates
Changing attendance can trigger or revoke certificate eligibility

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Record Attendance Promptly

For events with automatic certificates, record attendance as soon as possible. Delays in recording mean delays in certificate delivery.

Attendance in Reports

Attendance data is included in Booking reports:

What's Included

Overall attendance status per attendee
Per-day attendance for multi-day events
Timestamps of when attendance was recorded

Exporting Attendance Data

Go to your session's Attendance tab
Click Export
Choose format (CSV or Excel)

Alternatively, use Bulk Reports to export attendance across multiple events.

Best Practices

Choose the right method - Match check-in method to event size and format
Record attendance promptly - Don't wait days after the event
For multi-day events, record each day - Don't try to do it all at the end
Verify no-shows - Don't leave attendance unmarked; explicitly mark absences
Use QR codes for large events - Reduces registration bottlenecks
Enable self check-in for online events - You can't physically verify anyway
Review before issuing certificates - Ensure attendance is accurate first

Common Questions

Can I change attendance after it's been recorded?

Yes, you can update attendance records at any time by going to the Attendance tab and toggling the status. If certificates have already been issued based on the old attendance, you may need to manually manage those.

What if an attendee joins late or leaves early?

Medtribe tracks attendance as present/absent, not duration. For single-day events, if they attended at all, you'd typically mark them present. For multi-day events, mark them present for days they attended. If you need to track partial day attendance, note it in your own records.

Does QR code check-in work offline?

The QR code itself can be displayed offline (if printed or saved), but attendees need internet access to submit their check-in. For venues with poor connectivity, consider manual or bulk check-in instead.

Can different sessions have different check-in methods?

Yes, each session can use whatever check-in method you choose. There's no setting to lock a method - you simply use the appropriate method when recording attendance. You might use QR codes for Day 1 and manual for Day 2.

How do I handle someone who wasn't on the list but attended?

They would need a booking to be in the attendance list. If someone attended without booking, you'd need to create a booking for them first (possibly a last-minute walk-in booking), then mark their attendance.

Is attendance visible to attendees?

Attendees can see their own attendance status in their booking details. They cannot see other attendees' information.

Troubleshooting

Attendance not saving

Check your internet connection
Refresh the page and try again
Ensure the session dates are correct (can't mark future attendance)
Try a different browser

QR code not working for attendees

Ensure they're scanning during the event time window
Check they have a confirmed booking
Verify the session is published
Try refreshing the QR code page

Self check-in option not appearing

Verify self check-in is enabled in event settings
Check the current time is within the session time window
Ensure the attendee is viewing their correct booking

Wrong day showing for multi-day event

Use the day selector to switch to the correct day
Check session dates are configured correctly

Related Guides

Booking Management - View and manage attendee bookings
Sessions - Configure session dates and multi-day events
Certificates - Issue certificates based on attendance
Reporting - Export attendance data

For attendance-related questions, contact support@medtribe.com.