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Guide for First-Time Events

First Event Guide

If this is your first time running a bingo event with BINGO LINK, this guide walks you through preparation, live operation, and post-event follow-up in order.

You can review what you need, how to choose the delivery mode, what to prepare in advance, and how to run the event on the day from this single page.

BINGO LINK penguin character raising one hand as a guide

Solving common bingo event problems

Before getting into operations, here are the common problems that happen during real bingo events and how BINGO LINK helps solve them.

Problem 1

It is hard to track drawn numbers

During a bingo event, participants often need a way to check previously drawn numbers. Because there can be up to 75 numbers, managing them on a whiteboard or printed board can be cumbersome.

You may also get repeated questions such as “Was 58 drawn?” or “Has 63 come up yet?”

Solution

Participants can check numbers on their phones

With BINGO LINK, participants can use the participant app to check drawn numbers on their own smartphones. Their card status, including reach and bingo, is updated in real time. Multiple screens are also supported, so you can show all drawn numbers in large format or display both the current result and the full history at the same time.

Problem 2

The drawing stops while staff verify bingo claims

When a participant claims bingo, staff need to verify whether it is correct. If staff check a paper card manually, the drawing may have to stop and everyone waits.

Solution

Use the staff app for instant verification

Staff can scan the card number QR code with the staff app and instantly confirm the bingo result.

Problem 3

Some participants still need paper cards

At events with children or elderly participants, some people may not have smartphones or may be uncomfortable using them. Paper bingo cards are also useful as prize exchange tickets and proof of claim.

Solution

Run the event with paper bingo cards as the main format

BINGO LINK is designed to work with paper bingo cards, so you can keep the familiar bingo event style while adding smartphone support where needed.

Basic event flow with BINGO LINK

1. Prepare the venue and staff

Display the participant app QR code at the event venue.

The participant QR code can be downloaded as an A4 poster PDF from the browser version or Windows app and printed as-is.

Staff should use the staff app QR code instead.

Penguin posting a participant app QR poster at the venue

Organizer tip
When you turn on smartphone delivery in the browser version or Windows app, both the participant app QR code and the staff app QR code are shown.

2. Participants register their cards

First, ask participants to scan the displayed participant app QR code.

Then hand out bingo cards and have participants scan the card QR code using the participant app.

Penguin scanning a QR code with a smartphone

Organizer tip
Besides camera scanning, direct card number entry is also supported.
Even if the smartphone camera cannot be used or the QR code is hard to scan, the card can still be registered by entering the card number.

3. Start the bingo event

Use the browser version or Windows app of BINGO LINK to run the drawing on a large display.

The host advances the drawing with the host remote, and when a participant claims bingo, staff verify it with the staff app.

Penguin hosting a bingo drawing with a microphone in front of a large display

Organizer tip
Participants can freely register any card they like on their phones, so do not use the participant phone screen itself as proof for bingo verification. Treat the distributed paper card as the prize exchange ticket, and always scan the paper card's card-number QR code with the staff app when verifying a win.

Check: Confirm how the participant app QR code and staff app QR code are displayed in the browser version or Windows version you plan to use.

What to decide before the event

  • Decide in advance who will host, who will operate the drawing, and who will handle staff verification.
  • Choose the drawing method. Use digital drawing in the app, or analog input if you are using a physical drawing machine.
  • Choose the smartphone delivery mode: no smartphone delivery, cloud delivery, or local delivery.
  • If paper cards are used as prize exchange tickets, staff should verify winners by scanning the card-number QR code on the paper card.

What you need

Basic equipment

  • Windows laptop
  • Power strip
  • Venue microphone if needed
  • Spare mouse

For delivery and verification

  • Displayed participant QR poster
  • 1 to 2 smartphones for staff verification
  • API code for cloud delivery
  • Venue Wi-Fi for local delivery

Cards

  • Bingo cards with card-number QR codes
  • Or a simple setup using commercial bingo cards

Check: You may want a separate card guide page that explains when to use official bingo cards, free PDF cards, virtual cards, and commercial cards.

How to choose the delivery mode

No smartphone delivery

This is a simple setup where you only display the drawing result on a screen. You can start with ordinary commercial bingo cards.

Cloud delivery

Participants can check the drawing status on their smartphones over the internet without connecting to the venue Wi-Fi. A valid API code is required for cloud delivery.

Local delivery

Smartphone delivery is possible within the same local network even without internet access. Participant devices need to connect to the venue Wi-Fi.

Preparation before event day

  1. Make sure the Windows app can launch properly.
  2. Make sure the drawing screen opens correctly.
  3. Make sure the participant QR and staff QR can be displayed.
  4. Make sure the staff verification screen can be accessed.
  5. If you use cloud delivery, decide the API code and how you will start using it in advance.
  6. If you want to prepare printed materials first, lock in the QR code in advance by setting the start date and time.
  7. Prepare an extension API code in advance if needed.

Always manage the participant QR code and API code together for cloud delivery

With cloud delivery, the participant QR code depends on the API code in use.

  • If you created the participant QR code for posters in advance, use the same API code on the event day.
  • If you start cloud delivery with a different API code on the day, the displayed participant QR code and the poster QR code will not match.
  • When you create a poster QR code, record the API code used so you can enter the same one during setup on the day.
  • If the API code has expired or is about to expire, extend the original code by registering a new code in the extension API key field instead of switching to a different original code.

Check: Verify the exact on-screen steps after entering the API code, how the scheduled start time is shown, and the exact label of the extension API code field in the app you will use.

Setup on the day

  1. Launch the app.
  2. Open Setup > Basic Settings.
  3. Select the drawing mode.
  4. Select the smartphone delivery mode.
  5. For cloud delivery, enter the same API code that was used to create the poster QR code.
  6. Select the usage start method.
  7. If the code may expire, register an extension API code.
  8. Enter the event name in Setup > Event Name.
  9. Make a final check that the participant QR, staff QR, and the QR codes on posters or printed handouts are correct.
  10. Scan the staff QR with a staff smartphone and confirm that the staff verification screen opens.

Final check on the day

If you are using a poster QR code for cloud delivery, confirm that the participant QR code on the poster matches the participant QR code shown on the screen that day.

  • If they do not match, you may have entered a different API code on the day.
  • If cloud delivery cannot start because the API code expired, do not replace it with a different code. Extend the original code with an extension API code instead.

Live event operation

Opening guidance

  • Ask participants to scan the participant QR code.
  • Explain that drawn numbers will update on their smartphone screens.
  • Tell participants to report bingo claims to staff.

Digital drawing

  1. Press START / NEXT on the drawing screen.
  2. Read out each number as it appears.
  3. Pause if staff need to verify a bingo claim.

Analog drawing

  1. Draw a number with the physical drawing machine.
  2. Enter the number into the input field in the Windows app.
  3. Press Enter to move to the next cell as you input.
  4. The host reads the number aloud.

Check: If you may switch drawing methods mid-event, prepare the on-site announcement wording in advance to reduce downtime.

Staff verification flow

  1. A participant claims bingo.
  2. Staff check the target card on the staff device verification screen.
  3. Follow the screen instructions to verify.
  4. Report the result to the host.
  5. If multiple claims arrive at the same time, process them in the order received or decide the order another fair way.
  6. If verification is still in progress, tell the host that the result is being checked.

Check: A more detailed screen-by-screen explanation for the staff verification screen may later be documented in a separate detailed manual.

After the event

  1. Once winner confirmation is complete, stop the delivery session.
  2. Close the app.
  3. Record whether the delivery mode was stable for next time.
  4. Record any trouble that happened during busy periods.
  5. Record whether the number of staff was sufficient.