You are standing at the door of a conference venue with a clipboard and a printed guest list. The first thirty guests trickle in and the system works. Then the buses arrive. Eighty people in a queue, half holding phones with confirmation emails, and a few whose names you cannot find because the list was printed before the last RSVPs came in.
Whether it is a conference at Harpa, a corporate gala, or a family reunion that outgrew the plan, the bottleneck is the same: too many guests, too little time, and a process built for twenty people.
Here is how QR ticket scanning in Melda replaces the clipboard.
The full lifecycle: from RSVP to door
You create an event in Melda and turn on ticket scanning. You set a four-digit PIN for your door crew (or let Melda generate one).
Guests RSVP through your event page. The moment someone confirms, Melda generates a unique QR ticket for that person and every plus-one in their party. One ticket per person, each with its own ID. Each guest with an email on file receives their own ticket, and tickets can be saved to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet.
If a guest cancels and later re-RSVPs, the old ticket is deleted and a new one is issued. The old QR code stops working immediately.
On the day of the event, door staff opens any phone browser, navigates to the scanner link, and enters the PIN. The full guest manifest downloads to the device and builds a local index. From that point on, every scan is validated locally — no server call. The result appears in under a millisecond.
Multiple devices can use the same link and PIN simultaneously. Four volunteers at four entrances, all scanning independently.
What happens when things go wrong
"What if a guest lost their phone?" The scanner has a guest list tab with search. Find the guest by name, tap, check in manually.
"What if someone screenshots another person's QR code?" Every ticket has a unique ID. If the real guest was already checked in, scanning the screenshot triggers an amber warning with the original check-in time. Your staff sees immediately that the ticket was already used.
"What if the WiFi drops?" The scanner validates locally — it does not need internet after the initial manifest download. Check-ins queue on the device and sync when connectivity returns. The full architecture is in how the scanner works without internet.
"What if we have 2,000 or 6,000 guests?" Lookup is instant whether your guest list is 50 or 6,000 people — the scanner indexes them in memory the moment it loads. The guest list is virtualized, so only visible rows are rendered.
"Do we need to download an app?" No. The scanner runs in the browser. Open a URL, enter the PIN, start scanning. iPhone, Android, tablet, laptop webcam — anything with a camera and a browser.
How it works
- Automatic ticket generation — guests confirm, Melda creates unique tickets and emails them. Plus-ones each get their own. Cancellation and re-RSVP invalidates the old code and issues a new one.
- PIN-protected — four-digit PIN with rate limiting. Too many wrong attempts locks out temporarily.
- Green, amber, red — successful scan flashes green with the guest's name. A duplicate scan flashes amber and shows when the ticket was first used. Invalid ticket turns red with a clear error.
- Party context — scan one member, see the full party. Who is checked in, who is still expected.
- Guest list fallback — search tab for manual check-in when a phone is dead or a QR will not load.
- No app — runs in the browser on any device with a camera. No app store, no updates.
This is a sandbox — scan away, nothing persists.
Liked that? Set up your own event with scanning in 2 minutes →
How to get started
- Create your event in Melda and collect RSVPs — either through Melda invitations or by importing a guest list.
- Turn on ticket scanning on the Scanner Settings page for your event and set a four-digit PIN (or let Melda generate one). If guests have already RSVP'd, Melda offers to send tickets to everyone retroactively in one click.
- Share the scanner URL and PIN with your door crew — copy the link from the Scanner Settings page and send it along with the PIN, by SMS, WhatsApp, email, whatever works. They open the link in any phone browser, enter the PIN, and they are ready.
- Guests arrive with their QR code — on their phone, in email, or saved to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. One scan checks them in.
Real scenarios
A three-day conference for 400 at Harpa. Four volunteers with phones, same link and PIN. Each scan takes under two seconds. One attendee left their phone at the hotel — the volunteer searches the guest list, taps the name, checks them in. By noon you have a real-time headcount across all four devices.
A company gala for 200. Two staff at the door. A couple arrives — one scan shows both names. Forty minutes later the same person walks back in after stepping outside for a call; amber flash, original check-in time. Already scanned at 19:12. No confrontation, no guessing.
What to read next
The scanner validates locally and syncs when connectivity returns. To understand exactly how the offline architecture works and how to test it before your event, read how the scanner works without internet.
For wallet passes, credits, and setup details, see the ticket scanning feature page. Ready to try it? Create an event and turn on ticket scanning.