When it comes to issuing continuing education credits during conferences, organizations take a wide range of approaches to verify attendance. Some rely on simple, self-reporting, while others require proof of physical presence — and in some cases, they even need detailed records of when attendees check in and check out of sessions.
In this article, we’ll explore several ways you can use a conference app to track attendance accurately and fairly, ensuring that each participant receives the right number of credits based on their actual involvement.
Self-Reporting: Simple and Easy Option to Attendance Verification
One of the simplest ways to validate attendance for continuing education credits is through an honor-based system. In this model, attendees are asked to participate in sessions and then complete a post-session evaluation, which is used as the basis for awarding their credits. It’s easy to administer, user-friendly for attendees, and works well for many organizations that prioritize accessibility and trust.
However, the major downside of this approach is that it’s entirely honor-based — meaning there’s no way to guarantee that the attendee was actually present for the full session. While this method works for most events, especially those with a highly professional audience, organizations seeking more accountability may want additional layers of verification. In the next sections, we’ll explore some other options that can strengthen your attendance tracking while still keeping the process simple for both organizers and attendees.
Self-Scan: The Next Level of Attendance Validation
When it comes to validating attendance during conferences — especially for sessions offering educational credits — self-scanning is an efficient and scalable solution.
In this method, unique QR codes are generated for each session that requires credit tracking. These QR codes can either be displayed to attendees at the end of the session (for example, on a presentation screen) or printed and placed at the entrance of the room.
Attendees simply scan the QR code using their own smartphones, instantly recording their attendance without the need for any additional hardware.
This mobile-first approach not only streamlines the validation process but also reduces operational costs, offering a seamless experience for both organizers and participants.
Staff-Scan: A Comprehensive Approach to Attendance Validation
For organizations that require stricter control over attendance — such as verifying both entry and exit for sessions — staff-scanning offers a more comprehensive solution.
In this method, event staff are responsible for scanning attendee QR codes, either printed directly on badges or accessible through the event app. This hands-on approach ensures accurate tracking, making it ideal for sessions where compliance, certification, or security is a priority.
Some organizations require scans at both the start and end of a session, and this can easily be managed with proper staffing. While this method is highly reliable, it does require coordination to ensure that team members are stationed at the session doors and ready before each session begins.
Conclusion
In this article, we explored three different methods for validating attendance at conferences: evaluation-based check-ins, self-scanning, and comprehensive staff scanning. Evaluation-based validation is the quickest and easiest option, followed by the self-scan method, which adds a layer of verification without requiring extra equipment. For organizations needing the highest level of control — such as tracking both entry and exit — the staff-scan approach offers the most comprehensive solution.
Depending on your certification requirements and event goals, you can choose the option that best fits your needs.
If you have any questions or would like to see a demo of these solutions in action, feel free to reach out — we’d be happy to help!