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TimeTracking

Time tracking for event crews

Build-up on Thursday, the show on Saturday night, breakdown until four in the morning, and half the crew is new. TimeTracking lets every crew member clock in at the venue in their own language, keeps night shifts in one piece and gives you approved hours per event.

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Animated demo: an event crew clocks in with a PIN at the kiosk by the crew entrance, each in their own language, the night runs from build-up through the show to breakdown past midnight as one shift, breakdown ends 45 minutes over the roster and the organiser approves the hours. Crew clocks in at the venue, Past midnight, one shift, Planned versus worked, Organiser approves.

How event companies use TimeTracking

  1. Plan the event

    Add the event and the venue, plan shifts for build-up, show and breakdown in the roster and publish them, so the crew sees where and when they are expected.

  2. Clock in at the crew entrance

    A tablet kiosk at the venue lets crew members clock in and out with a personal 6-digit PIN. Crew with the app can start the timer on their own phone.

  3. Check hours per event

    Hours land on the event and on the shift they belong to. Planned versus worked shows which shifts ran long, and overnight shifts are counted as one shift.

  4. Approve and export

    The organiser or venue approves the event's hours through a magic link. Approved hours go to payroll, and the export can feed your invoicing tool.

Short gigs, many people, one evening

An event crew is assembled for a few days and then falls apart again. Riggers, stagehands, bar staff, stewards and runners come from your own pool, from agencies and from freelancers, and many of them work for you only a handful of times a year. Paper sign-in lists at the crew entrance are the norm, and someone in the office retypes them on Monday.

TimeTracking replaces the list with a kiosk. New crew members can be invited by SMS, log in with a one-time code and choose their own language, so there is no account setup before the first shift. After the season, people are deactivated and you only pay for active users.

  • Invite new crew by SMS, no company email needed
  • Apps in 20 languages, each person picks their own
  • Deactivate after the event, history stays
  • Pay only for active users

A kiosk at the venue

Phones are often in a locker during the show, and many temporary crew members will not install an app for one weekend. A tablet at the crew entrance solves both: everyone clocks in and out with a personal 6-digit PIN, in their own language. After 5 wrong PINs the tablet locks for 15 minutes, which discourages clocking in for a colleague without photos or face recognition.

The kiosk can be limited to one venue, so every clock-in lands on the right event. It needs an internet connection, so place it where the venue Wi-Fi or mobile data is reliable; that is often the production office rather than the loading dock.

Night work and shifts past midnight

A breakdown that starts at 23:00 and ends at 04:30 is one shift, not two half days. TimeTracking records it as one shift with a correct total, with breaks recorded explicitly. Irregular-hours allowances and overtime can be mapped to their own payroll codes in the export.

The rule engine warns planners when a roster leaves too little rest between shifts, for example a breakdown that ends at dawn followed by the next build-up the same morning. The warning comes before the roster is published, not after a complaint.

Hours per event and per shift

Every entry carries the event and the venue, and rostered hours stay linked to their shift, so you can see how many hours went into build-up, show and breakdown. Planned versus worked per shift shows where the schedule drifted, which helps when you quote the same event next year.

Travel time to the venue and mileage are recorded as separate types, and expenses such as parking can be added with a receipt photo, all approved together with the hours.

  • Hours per event and venue
  • Planned versus worked per shift
  • Travel time and mileage to the venue
  • Expenses with receipt photo

Approval by the organiser or venue

When you supply crew to an organiser or a venue, they want to see and agree with the hours before you invoice them. TimeTracking sends their production manager a secure, expiring magic link with the hours per crew member and day. They approve the event or reject a line with a comment, without an account.

TimeTracking does not create invoices. The approved hours are exported as configurable CSV or XLSX, or through the API, so your invoicing tool works from the same numbers as payroll.

Payroll after a busy weekend

Approved periods are exported to payroll in one step. Live today: an SD Worx-format export, configurable CSV and XLSX exports and the REST API. Connectors for Loket, Nmbrs and AFAS are coming soon.

Once a period is exported it is locked. A forgotten hour discovered later becomes a correction in the next period, so payroll and your records keep matching.

Frequently asked questions

Can crew clock in without installing an app?

Yes. At a tablet kiosk at the venue, crew members clock in and out with a personal 6-digit PIN.

Does the kiosk work without internet?

No. The kiosk needs a connection to clock in and out; an offline mode is planned but not available today. The mobile app keeps its timer running offline and sends hours later.

How are shifts past midnight handled?

A shift that crosses midnight is recorded as one shift with the correct total, and breaks are recorded explicitly.

Can the organiser approve our crew hours?

Yes. The organiser or venue approves through a secure, expiring magic link, without an account. Name and time of approval are recorded.

We work with many one-off crew members. What does that cost?

You pay per active user per month: €1 on Core, free for up to 5 users. Deactivate people after the event and they no longer count, while their hours stay in the history.

Can I see hours per event?

Yes. Every entry is linked to an event and venue, and reports show hours per event, person and period, with planned versus worked per shift.

Related pages

Try TimeTracking free

Free for up to 5 users. Core from €1 per user per month, everything included.

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