If you have ever organised an event with more than twenty people, you know the feeling. A clipboard circulates the room. Half the signatures are illegible. Three people miss it entirely. The next morning you spend an hour transcribing a crumpled sheet into a spreadsheet — only to discover a column was cut off at the fold.

Electronic signatures at events solve all of this. But picking the wrong tool can make the problem worse. This guide explains exactly what to look for, how to set it up step by step, and how to make the experience smooth for every attendee.

What "electronic signature" means at an in-person event

When lawyers talk about electronic signatures, they mean cryptographic certificates that verify identity remotely — tools like DocuSign or Adobe Sign. These are excellent for contracts sent by email. They are completely wrong for a room of people arriving at a door.

What you actually need at an event is a captured handwritten signature — someone draws their signature with a finger or stylus on a tablet screen. It looks like a real signature, it is tied to a known attendee on your list, and it is timestamped automatically.

A handwritten electronic signature for John Regis drawn on a tablet screen using Attenda event check-in software, showing a cursive signature with an underline flourish
A signature drawn directly on screen — tied to a participant record, timestamped, and stored securely in the attendance report

The key distinction: remote e-sign tools are built for one-to-one document workflows. Event signature tools are built for one-to-many in-person workflows — a room full of people arriving at a door. These are fundamentally different problems requiring fundamentally different tools.

Two ways to run signature collection at events

Attenda supports two distinct check-in modes. The right one depends on your event size, format, and how much staff you have at the entrance.

Registration desk — staff-managed

A staff member manages check-ins from an admin panel. They find each guest in the list, check them in, and send a signature request to a separate kiosk screen facing the guest. The guest signs while the staff member moves to the next person. This works well for formal events — annual meetings, legal assemblies, award ceremonies.

Kiosk check-in — self-service

A tablet sits at the entrance on a small stand. Guests walk up, type their name into the search field, confirm it is them, and sign. No staff needed at the door. This works well for events where guests arrive over an extended window — networking events, member meetings, training days.

How to set it up: step by step

Step 1: Create your event

Log in to Attenda and click New event. Add the event name, date, location, and timezone. The setup wizard walks you through three steps in under two minutes.

Attenda admin panel events dashboard showing empty state with New event button and message: No events yet. Create your first event to get started
The Attenda events dashboard — clean and ready for your first event
Attenda create a new event modal showing Step 1 of 3 with fields for Event name set to Members meeting 2026, Date 06/10/2026, Location Marriott Hotel London and Timezone Europe/London
Step 1 of 3 — event name, date, location, and timezone

Step 2: Import your participant list

Go to the Participants tab and upload your attendee list as a CSV or Excel file. Required columns are ID and Name — Organisation is optional. Download the template if you are unsure of the format.

Attenda import participant list screen with dashed upload area, Import a participant list heading, Choose file and Download template buttons, and instructions to upload CSV or Excel with ID Name and Company columns
Upload your CSV or Excel list — download the template to get the column format right first time
Attenda participant list after import showing 3 total participants 0 checked in 0 signatures captured, with Jane Doe John Regis and John Smith listed with Check in buttons
After import — participant list is live with real-time check-in and signature counters

Step 3: Check in guests and request signatures

In registration desk mode, find each guest and check them in with one click. Once checked in, the Request signature button activates. Clicking it sends the request to the kiosk screen facing the guest in real time.

Attenda admin panel showing John Regis with green Checked in badge and Request signature button now active, alongside Jane Doe and John Smith with Check in buttons
After check-in, Request signature activates — one click sends it to the kiosk screen
Attenda admin panel showing John Regis with Checked in and Currently requested green badges and a Cancel request option confirming the signature request is live on the kiosk
The "Currently requested" badge confirms the request is live on the kiosk screen

Step 4: Guest signs on the kiosk screen

The kiosk screen updates instantly with the guest's name and a Tap to sign prompt. They tap, draw their signature with a finger or stylus, and save. The consent notice is displayed before they confirm. The whole interaction takes about 15 seconds.

Attenda kiosk screen showing Signature Requested for John Regis from Legal Associates ID 3 with a large green Tap to sign button on a clean off-white background
The kiosk screen updates in real time the moment the organiser sends the request
Attenda signature pad modal for John Regis showing a canvas with the John Regis cursive signature drawn, Sign below label, Clear Cancel and Save Signature buttons, and consent text: By signing I confirm my attendance and consent to my signature being recorded
The guest signs on a touch canvas — consent text displayed before saving
Attenda kiosk confirmation screen showing a green circle checkmark icon, Thank you heading, and message: John Regis your signature has been captured
Instant confirmation — the kiosk resets automatically for the next guest

Step 5: Monitor and export

The admin panel updates in real time — signed status, exact timestamp, and a signature thumbnail for each participant. Once the event ends, export the full attendance report as PDF or Excel immediately.

Attenda admin panel showing John Regis with a green Signed badge, timestamp 10:09:05 AM, and a thumbnail of his handwritten signature visible in the participant row
Signed status, exact timestamp, and signature thumbnail visible at a glance
Attenda signed attendance report PDF showing a table with ID Name Organization Checked-in at Signed At and Signature columns. John Regis shows timestamps and his handwritten cursive signature. Jane Doe and John Smith show Not signed.
The exported PDF — every participant's details, timestamps, and captured signature in one document

What to tell your attendees

Common questions

Is a electronic signature legally valid?

This depends on your jurisdiction and the purpose. For internal attendance records, meeting minutes, and training logs, a timestamped electronic signature is generally more reliable than paper. For signatures that need to meet specific legal thresholds in regulated contexts, consult a lawyer. The EU eIDAS Regulation provides a useful framework for understanding electronic signature categories in Europe.

What if someone refuses to sign digitally?

Keep a paper fallback available and record them manually in the admin panel afterwards. This is rare but worth preparing for at formal events.

What if the wifi drops mid-event?

In kiosk check-in mode, the participant list is cached on the device when you first open the event with wifi. If the connection drops, guests can still find their name and sign — data queues locally and syncs when the connection returns. Registration desk mode requires a live connection between the two screens.

Can I add walk-in participants on the day?

Yes — add them from the admin panel at any point before or during the event. They appear on the kiosk immediately, ready to sign.

The shift from paper to electronic signatures at events sounds bigger than it is. Setup takes under five minutes, the guest experience is faster than passing around a clipboard, and you leave with a clean exportable record instead of a crumpled sheet. Once you have done it once, you will not go back.

Try it free at your next event

Attenda is free for up to 10 participants. Set up your event, upload your list, and you are ready in under five minutes. No credit card required.

Start free →