From Check-In to Check-Out: A Step-by-Step Guide to Running Events on Planadar | Planadar Blog
The first time you log into a new event platform, everything looks shiny… and slightly overwhelming. Buttons everywhere. Menus. Settings you swear you’ve seen before but can’t place. So let’s keep this simple. If you have an event coming up and you’re using Planadar, here’s a realistic, start-to-finish guide you can follow—no jargon, no fluff. We’ll go from: “I just created an account” to “People checked in, engaged, and I have a report my leadership actually wants to open.”
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Step 1: Sketch your event on paper (yes, really) Before you click anything, grab a notebook or open a blank doc and jot down: • Event name & dates • Expected number of attendees • Session types (keynote, breakout, workshop, networking) • Sponsor presence (none / a few / full expo hall) • What you want to measure o e.g. session attendance, sponsor visits, app adoption, survey responses You don’t need a novel. You just want enough clarity so Planadar can mirror reality.
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Step 2: Create the event in Planadar Inside Planadar: 1. Click “Create Event”. 2. Enter the basics: o Name (what attendees will see) o Dates & time zone o Location (venue or “Online”) 3. Choose whether this is in-person, virtual, or hybrid. This becomes your event “home base.” Everything else hangs off this structure.
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Step 3: Set up registration & ticket types Next, decide who can register and how. In Planadar, configure: • Registration form o Name, email, company, role o Custom questions (dietary needs, interests, session preferences) • Ticket types or access levels o General attendee o VIP o Sponsor staff o Speaker Even if your event is free, creating “ticket types” is worth it. It lets you: • Filter analytics later (“How did VIPs behave vs general attendees?”) • Control access to specific sessions or areas if needed. If you’re charging for the event, connect your Stripe account so people can pay and register in one flow. Planadar will sync attendee data automatically.
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Step 4: Build your agenda—the part attendees will live in Your agenda is where the event either feels chaotic or clean. In Planadar, create: 1. Tracks (optional but helpful) o “Product & Strategy” o “Technical Deep Dives” o “People & Culture” 2. Sessions o Title, description o Start/end times o Location (Room, stage, or “Online”) o Speaker(s) from your speaker list 3. Tags for discoverability o “Beginner,” “Advanced,” “Leadership,” “Hands-on,” etc. Attendees browsing your agenda in Planadar should be able to answer one question quickly: “Where should I be next?” If that answer isn’t obvious in 10 seconds, simplify the naming and tracks.
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Step 5: Add speakers and sponsors with purpose In Planadar, speakers and sponsors aren’t just logos—they’re clickable profiles that can collect engagement. • Speakers o Add headshots, bios, and links (LinkedIn, website). o Tie each speaker to their sessions so attendees can favorite sessions by people, not just titles. • Sponsors o Create sponsor profiles with logo, description, and CTAs. o Link to demo forms, websites, or special offers. o If you have booths, assign QR codes for check-ins so Planadar can track foot traffic. Think of this as building “mini-landing pages” inside your event app.
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Step 6: Turn on engagement features (the fun part) This is where Planadar starts to separate itself from traditional event tools. Consider enabling: • Points & challenges o e.g. “Attend 3 sessions on Day 1 for a bonus,” “Visit 4 sponsors to unlock a prize.” • Live polls & Q&A o Attach a poll or Q&A module to key sessions. o Encourage speakers to reference the results in real time. • AI-powered networking o Turn on smart recommendations so attendees see suggested people to meet based on their profile, interests, and sessions. • In-app messaging o Let attendees message each other instead of juggling business cards and LinkedIn searches. Don’t enable everything just because you can. Pick 2–3 engagement features and commit to using them well.
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Step 7: Prepare for check-in day On event day, first impressions matter. Planadar’s check-in tools help you avoid the classic scene: a crowded table, three laptops, one shared spreadsheet. You can: • Use QR code tickets – attendees show their code, staff scan, they’re in. • Set up self-check-in kiosks – tablets where attendees scan themselves. • Have staff with mobile devices doing check-in on the move. Because check-in is tied directly to your attendee list, you immediately see: • Who has arrived • What ticket type they have • Where numbers are trending vs your expectations From the moment doors open, your data is already updating.
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Step 8: Keep the energy going during the event Once everyone is inside, your job shifts from “herding traffic” to “keeping things alive.” Here’s how Planadar helps you do that: • Push notifications o “Breakouts start in 10 minutes—don’t forget to check in for extra points.” o “Visit Sponsor X for a live demo and double your points for the next 30 minutes.” • Leaderboards o Show top attendees or teams on screens between sessions. o Use this in your MC script: “Table 7 is climbing the leaderboard fast…” • Real-time dashboards o Check which sessions are filling up. o See which sponsors are getting traffic. o Adjust on the fly: move a popular session to a bigger room, send a notification to help sponsors. Your event stops being a black box and becomes something you can steer.
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Step 9: Wrap up with intention The event isn’t over at the last session. Planadar helps you land the plane smoothly. After your final session: 1. Send feedback surveys o Targeted by session and overall event o Tie survey completion to points or badges 2. Share key resources o Slide decks, recordings, links o Make it easy for attendees to review content inside the same platform they used all day 3. Thank sponsors and speakers o Consider a short “Highlights” notification: “Top sessions by attendance,” “Most engaged sponsor,” “Total connections made.” People like to know they were part of something that had momentum.
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Step 10: Turn your data into a story your leadership cares about The real magic happens when you open Planadar’s analytics. Instead of just “We had 300 people,” you can show: • Registration vs actual check-ins • Session attendance breakdown • Top engagement actions (polls, Q&A, challenges completed) • Sponsor interactions (booth visits, link clicks, leads) • Networking stats (connections made, messages sent) Use this data to build a simple narrative: 1. What you tried 2. What worked best 3. What you’ll double down on next time That’s not an “events recap.” That’s a strategy document—and it positions you as someone who can design experiences, not just run logistics.
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Final thoughts If Planadar feels like a lot on day one, that’s normal. Any serious event platform will. The difference is that once you’ve run one event end-to-end, you’ll have: • A reusable structure • Saved speakers and sponsors • Engagement templates you can tweak • Historical data to measure improvement Your second event won’t feel like starting from scratch. It’ll feel like leveling up. And that’s really the point: Planadar is here so each event you run is not just possible, but better than the last.
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