Run Guest List, Badges, Labels, and Door Check

Guest work fractures when the list, badges, and door sheet live in three places. Guest Manager runs the guest side of an event: list, needs, badges with QR passes, labels, and a door check on your device—all sharing one project.

This guide covers one job only: keep every guest step on the same saved project through event day.

Shared project, one entry

Every step uses the same project in the browser tab, so you enter details once. Save the project file before the event; it carries guests and the key that makes passes verifiable. Companions: Guest List Tracker, Event Suite, Event Checklist Planner. Category: event tools.

Worked example: 140-guest wedding weekend

• Import CSV; mark dietary and access needs
• Dietary/access summary for caterer
• Badges with QR; table labels as needed
• Door check on tablet with saved project
• Done definition: caterer has summary PDF/notes; door can scan; no second spreadsheet

Steps on Guest Manager

1. Open Guest Manager; try a sample if you want a walkthrough, then replace data.
2. Add or import guests.
3. Capture dietary and access needs early.
4. Review the dietary and access summary for kitchen and venue.
5. Generate name badges with QR passes when the list is stable.
6. Print labels if seating or place cards need them.
7. Save the project file to two locations (laptop + USB/cloud you control).
8. On the day, open door check from the same project.
9. Export steps carefully—each export counts one usage; browsing does not.
10. After the event, archive the project with the final attendance notes.

When to use a heavier system

Live ticket sales, payments, or multi-device staff apps with central servers need dedicated platforms. Guest Manager targets browser-side control for corporate events, conferences, weddings, workshops, exhibitions, and community events.

Common mistakes

• Changing the list after badges print without re-export.
• Never saving the project, then losing door validation.
• Ignoring dietary fields until the caterer asks at 4 p.m.
• Expecting multi-door live sync without the right product tier/system.
• Uploading guest CSVs to random “helpers” when this flow keeps data in-tab until you save.

Limits and good to know

• Everything stays in the browser tab and is erased on close unless you save the project file.
• Among FreeDailyPro’s 300+ professional tools, premium applications and workflow products, this is the multi-step guest operations hub.
• Not a payment or ticket marketplace.
• Privacy: guest data is not sent to FreeDailyPro servers for this tool’s processing model as described on the page.

Staff briefing

Train door volunteers on Valid vs already-checked behaviour and how to search when a QR will not scan. Paper backup list still helps.

Access needs early

Capture mobility and access needs with the same care as dietary fields. Venue staff need lead time for seating and routes—not a surprise at the door.

Label vs badge

Badges identify people; labels identify seats or gifts. Generate both from the same list so spelling never diverges.

Caterer summary timing

Send the dietary and access summary 72 hours before, then a final delta 24 hours before. Kitchens plan protein counts early; last-minute vegan spikes need a written change log.

Import column mapping

When you import CSV, map name, email, dietary, and access fields carefully once, then save a cleaned CSV as the master. Re-importing messy originals reintroduces typos onto badges.

Multi-day guest reuse

For multi-day conferences, keep one project and note day credentials on the badge line rather than building three guest lists that diverge by Wednesday.

Volunteer shift handoff

Door shift A exports a simple “checked in so far” note if your process needs it; shift B opens the same project. Verbal handoffs without the project file create double admits.

Plus-ones policy

Encode plus-ones as separate guest rows with a link note, not a plain-text blob in the primary name field. Badges and door check both behave better with atomic rows.

Rain plan registration

If outdoor check-in moves inside, the same project still works—practice opening door check on the backup tablet the night before.

Kids and minors

If minors attend, decide badge rules and guardian links before import. Do not invent policy at the door while a queue waits.

Post-event thank-you list

Export attendees who checked in if your process allows, then run thank-you email from your own mail tool. Keep the project archive with the date for next year’s invite list.

FAQ

Steps share data? Yes—one project.

Usage? Exports cost usage; editing does not.

Sample data? Yes—Try a sample, then replace.

What should I archive? The final export, the settings you used and a dated one-line note, so a reprint starts from the same inputs.

Freeze the list before you print

Pick a cut-off time, usually 48 hours before the event, after which changes to the guest list go through one named person. After that time, any new name is added, saved and exported in a single batch. This prevents the common problem of badges that do not match the list the door team is using, and it keeps you from printing the same set twice.

Keep two copies of the project in different places

Save the project file on the laptop that runs the door check and on a second device or drive you control. Label the copies with the date and a version number, and open both once to confirm they work. If a device fails on the day, you can continue from the backup instead of rebuilding anything.

Run one full dry run

A week before the event, import a short test list, generate a badge, scan it at the door device, and review the dietary summary. A dry run takes twenty minutes and shows you which steps are unclear, which settings you forgot, and whether your devices behave as expected. Delete the test data afterwards so nothing from the rehearsal appears on the real day.

After the event

Save a final copy of the project with the attendance notes, then clear the browser data on any shared device. Write down what you would change next time: the cut-off time, the number of spare badges, the briefing for the door team. Those notes are worth more than any feature, because they make next year's event easier.

Closing next step

Import once, save the project, print once. Open Guest Manager.

Need a dietary summary + badge timing checklist? Tell us on the contact page.