Using Self Check-In When Manually Assigning Bidder Numbers at Gala Check-In

If you plan to manually assign bidder numbers during in-person Gala Check-In but would also like to let guests check in online before the event, this article explains the recommended setup and best practices.

How Self Check-In Works:

Self Check-In is a form of Event Check-In. As soon as a guest completes the online Self Check-In process, the software automatically assigns them the next available sequential bidder number.

This happens even if the Assign Bidder Numbers at In-Person Check-In setting is enabled.

Because bidder numbers are assigned during Advanced Online Check-In, Self Check-In is NOT recommended if you prefer to manually assign ALL Bidder Numbers at Gala Check-In.

How to use Self Check-In + Gala Check-In to Assign Bid Numbers:

If you'd like to Manually Assign Bid Numbers at Gala Check-In and would also like to offer guests the convenience of checking-in online before they arrive at your event, follow these best practices:

  1. Enable the Assign bid numbers at In-Person Check-in feature on your site.
  2. Enable the Self Check-in feature, when enabled, the Self Check-in email template appears in the Bulk Actions dropdown menu on the Tickets page under Email Selected Users.
  3. Edit your Self Check-In invitation email template to let guests know that Self Check-In is available until a specified time before the event. We recommend at least one hour before your gala event begins.
    Example: "Self Check-In is available until 12:00 PM the day of the event."
  4. Turn off the Self Check-In feature at the designated time.This immediately deactivates any outstanding Self Check-In links, preventing guests from checking in while walking in from the parking lot, waiting in line, or riding the elevator.
  5. Distribute the Bid Paddles to guests who checked-in online. Guests who completed Advanced Check-In have already been assigned Bidder Numbers. Because Bid Numbers are assigned sequentially, you can easily pull the range of bid paddles for guests who check-in online (for example, #300–376) and have greeters or table hosts hand them to guests as they arrive.
    Pro Tip: The User Status screen (Auction Night > User Status) can be used to look up guests' Bidder Numbers for easy distribution of paddles.
  6. Assign Bidder Numbers manually during In-Person Gala Check-In for the remaining guests, starting with the next available number (for example, #377 and higher).

Step 1 - Enable the Assign Bid Numbers at In-Person Check-In feature:

Step 2 - Turn on Self Check-In:

Step 3: Edit Self Check-In Email:

Step 6 - Manually Assign Bidder Numbers at Gala Check-In: