Access control at a conference with different groups of participants

Access control by participant group at a conference means assigning different access rights within a single event, with speakers, attendees, exhibitors, and committee members each receiving their own e-ticket and badge.

An annual conference rarely has just one type of attendee. There are speakers and session chairs, paying participants, exhibitors, committee members, and sometimes students with a discounted registration fee. Each group has its own schedule and access requirements. Activo has been supporting this type of event since 1997, including medical and scientific conferences.

It all starts with registration

During the registration process, you define which information is required for each participant group, which program sessions they can view, and which registration fee applies. For paid registrations, participants receive both an e-ticket and a PDF invoice. The Medical Conference Platform is specifically designed for this, including abstract management and accreditation.

For submitting and reviewing abstracts, the Abstract Review Module enables the scientific committee to evaluate submissions efficiently. At the Amsterdam UMC conference, this was fully integrated with registration and an online poster platform.

Access by participant group on the conference day

Each participant group receives its own e-ticket with a unique QR code. At the entrance, the code is scanned, instantly displaying the attendee's name and participant group so the correct badge and lanyard can be issued. See Event Venue Access Control. Each scan takes only a few seconds, so even during the busy arrival period before the opening session, queues are kept to a minimum.

The badge clearly identifies each participant's role. Organizers, speakers, and exhibitors can be recognized immediately, reducing questions at session entrances and in the exhibition area.

Exhibitors and booth staff

If your conference includes an exhibition, exhibitors register their booth and staff through the Exhibition Registration module. Using the Lead Scanner App, they can scan attendees' QR codes to capture contact details for follow-up. This approach was successfully used at Exact Live.

Complete overview for the organizing committee

Every badge scan is recorded, giving organizers a live overview of attendance and showing which participants are still expected for each group. After the event, you have a complete attendance list without manual counting, which is also useful for accreditation purposes. Participant data is processed in accordance with GDPR requirements, meeting the standards of organizations such as Amsterdam UMC and the Dutch Judiciary. An Event App with e-ticket gives every participant access to their personal conference program in one place.

Frequently asked questions about conferences with multiple target audiences