How to Check In and Manage Attendees Using the Check-In Tool

In this article, we will guide you and your volunteers through using the Check-In Tool during your event.

The Check-In Tool helps you manage event attendees in one place — check them in, update their info, add items to their carts, save credit cards, and process payments.

This guide walks you through everything you need to know to check in attendees smoothly.

Step 1: Access the Check-In Tool

• Go to esm.trellis.org and log in as an Organizer or Volunteer.

• Or open it from the Dashboard → Event & Sales Manager (ESM).

Step 2: Find the Attendee

• Search by last name (recommended), email, or phone number.

• If not found, try searching under the ticket purchaser’s name.

Step 3: Check the Attendee’s Status

When you pull up an attendee, their status will be shown:

1. Linked (Best Case): Attendee is linked to an account
   1. Full access: check-in, shared cart, save cards, complete purchases.
2. Unlinked: Attendee is not linked to an account, a unique email address is missing.
   1. Can check in, edit info, add unique email, one-time payments.
   2. No shared cart, can’t save cards until a unique email is added.
3. Unverified: Attendee is linked to an account but needs to verify their email.
   1. Can check in, local cart, one-time payments.
   2. No shared cart or saved cards until verified.
   3. They verify by clicking the link sent to their email/phone, bidding in an auction, or making a purchase while signed in.

Step 4: Confirm Information

Verify details with the attendee:

• “Is your email [email] and does your phone number end in ####?”

• If missing or incorrect, click View More > Edit Attendee.

Step 5: Check In the Attendee

• Click the blue Check-In button.

• If email address is missing or duplicate, you will be prompted to edit the attendee.
  
  
  
  
• If email is valid and the phone number is missing, you’ll be prompted to add one.
   
  
  
  

• The system then sends a sign-in link by text/email. Ask the attendee to click it on their phone.

  • The text says: "Welcome to [Fundraiser Headline]! Your table number is [##]. Here's your one-time login link to your account: [url]"

Step 6: Add a Credit Card

• If no card is saved, you’ll be prompted to add one.

• Best practice: Save a card at check-in to make checkout fast and smooth.

Attendee is now checked in and you can move on to the next guest!

Pro Tips

1. Verify contact info (email and phone) at check-in, as people sometimes have someone else's info.
2. If couples want to share an email address and credit card, get all information for one spouse (the primary) and assign a paddle number. The other spouse should be checked in, but you do not need to collect contact info and you should not assign a paddle number. Make sure you only hand out one paddle number to the couple.
3. If you forget what the Attendee statuses mean, the legend on the left hand side of the check-in tool can explain again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can two or more guests share the same email?

Yes, but with limited functionality. Only one attendee can be linked to a user account per event. The other attendee(s) will be considered Unlinked, which means you cannot save a credit card to their account.

This is fine if only the linked attendee plans on participating, which can be the case with spouses. For the best experience (for you and your guests), any attendees that plan on participating should have a unique email address so they can be linked to a user account.

What happens if an attendee is Unlinked?

You can still check them in and manage their cart. But here’s what to keep in mind:

• They won’t see what you add to their cart.

• You won't see what they add to their cart themselves, from their phone.

• You can’t complete their purchase until they provide an email.

This is because our system requires a user account in order to save any data, and user accounts require a unique email address.

Do you integrate with credit card scanning hardware?

No, Trellis does not integrate with external scanning hardware. In practice, we’ve found that even without hardware, check-in is typically fast and delays are minimal. Our system is designed to keep the process efficient without requiring additional equipment.

What if an attendee does not want to give their credit card info?

You can tell them you are saving a card onto their account for them, so they can bid in the silent auction, purchase raffle tickets / contest entries, and make donations throughout the night.

If they still resist, they can always add their card themselves directly from their account if they decide to make a purchase. 

Why is this attendee Unverified? What does that mean?

If an attendee's email matches an existing user account on Trellis, we run through a number of security checks to confirm that that attendee is truly that user account by looking at verified purchases.

If we are unable to verify ourselves that that attendee is the same individual as the user account, we require the attendee to click on a verification link in their email to confirm their account. This is to ensure credit card data is not exposed to malicious actors. 

Now that you have become acquainted with how to use our Check-In Tool to add items to your guest carts, let's explore some other articles that you may find valuable!

Quick Links to Related Articles:

• How to Manage an Attendee's Cart
• Template: Volunteer Check-In Instructions