16 June 2026 · 3 min · Wesley Veldeman
VIP gates and access control: only the right tickets at the right door
A VIP entrance, a general entrance, maybe a separate artist gate. With gates, each entrance only validates the ticket types allowed through it. Here's per-gate access control in ClearTix (Pro).
Why different entrances need different rules
Not every event has a single door. A concert with a VIP area, a festival with a separate artist entrance, or a gala with a press gate all send visitors in through different doors — and not every ticket belongs at every door. A VIP ticket should sail through the VIP gate, but a general ticket should not get in there. Without a way to enforce that, you get the classic problem: someone with a general ticket walks in through the VIP entrance because it is quieter.
What a gate is in ClearTix
A gate is an entry point to your event — for example "Main entrance", "VIP entry" or "Artists". For each gate you set:
- the name your staff see in the scanner;
- an optional capacity (informational, to help you plan crowd flow);
- the ticket types allowed through it;
- the staff assigned to work it.
Only the right tickets at the right door
This is the heart of it. Set a scanner to the VIP gate and it only validates VIP tickets. A general ticket immediately shows "not valid at this entrance". The other way around, the main gate keeps the VIP area separate. Your crew does not have to memorise which wristband goes where — the system enforces the rule at the door.
| Gate | Valid ticket types |
|---|---|
| Main entrance | General, Early bird |
| VIP entry | VIP, Sponsor |
| Artists | Crew, Artist |
Staff per gate, each with their own sign-in
Each crew member signs in to the browser scanner — with their own account or a shared scanner PIN — and picks the gate they are working. From then on, every scan is automatically tagged with that entrance, so your check-in log shows exactly which door each visitor came through. Handy for disputes at the door, and useful for counting afterwards. You can also assign staff to a specific gate, so each person only handles their own entrance.
The scanner itself runs in the browser on any phone, tablet or laptop with a camera — or a PC with a webcam. Nothing to install.
A live overview across all gates
Every gate writes to the same system. The live check-in dashboard rolls up the figures from all entrances: total capacity, how many people are inside, and how many places remain. You can see at a glance where the crowd is building and move staff to the gate with the longest queue.
A Pro feature — when is it worth it?
Separate gates with their own rules are part of the Pro plan. For a small event with one door you do not need them: you simply scan at a single entrance. But the moment you run multiple entrances that admit different tickets — VIP versus general, or a separate crew or press gate — gate control prevents mistakes and friction at the door.
Want to combine this with fast scanning across many entrances at once? Read scanning festival tickets across multiple gates too. Curious what each plan includes? See the pricing or the approach for festivals and large events.