Event registrants within 2 kilometers (about 1.25 miles) of any Slate-hosted event can check in with their mobile device.

At this time, mobile check-in is only available for Events. It is not currently available for Scheduler.

Configuring the Message

To use this feature:

1. Create a form communication for an event.

2. Include the Form-Mobile-Check-in merge field link in the event confirmation and reminder communications (email and SMS).In addition to the Form-Mobile-Check-in merge field link, the event must have a start and end time for the self-service geofencing functionality to be used. 

When registrants receive the mobile check-in link, they can check in to the event if they are within range of the event location.

✨ Tip

To encourage self-service check-in, send the message as a SMS one hour before the event.

How it works

When the registrant opens the link, a geolocation authorization prompt appears. The prompt asks them to allow Slate to determine their location to make sure they are in range. If the recipient selects Don’t Allow, an error message appears and they won’t be able to check in from their mobile device.

When a registrant tries to initiate the mobile check-in procedure, the technical process requires two sets of coordinates. Slate first grabs the coordinates of the event and looks at the [geo] column on the [form] table. Slate uses the JavaScript function 'getCurrentPosition' to receive the coordinates (lat and long) of where the user is accessing the page. The end user's IP address is not used for this calculation.

With those two sets of coordinates, Slate performs the calculation to determine if the user is within range of the event. This calculation is done only for the purpose of check-in, and Slate does not store the lat long coordinates, and the calculation occurs entirely on the client side.

Some mobile devices inhibit location information. To troubleshoot, see this resource from Apple.

After a registrant selects the mobile check-in link, if indicated that they should receive a confirmation page, they will receive the following message: “You’ve successfully checked in.”