Grip Onsite

Grip Onsite is a suite of products and services for the on-site parts of events. Attendees can use self-service kiosks to check in and receive printed badges, or check in with printed tickets, badges, or an event app. Organizers get real-time arrival reports and can track attendance at individual sessions. Badge scanning can control access to restricted areas and provide sponsored-session leads. Bluetooth Smart Badges let participants exchange contact information with a button press; location tracking can show booth and session visits, heat maps, and visit duration. Badge choices include laminated or paper formats, customizable size and orientation, and an optional RFID sticker. Grip Onsite can work alone, with Grip Engage or Manage, or alongside a third-party registration system. Equipment is delivered, installed, and tested by onsite support staff or trained technicians, with support during the event. Self-managed setup is available for events with fewer than four terminals. Onsite badging setup typically takes 2–6 hours and is usually completed the day before opening. Pricing is on request.

Grip Onsite combines check-in, badging, and session tracking with optional location insights and Smart Badges. Its support team handles equipment setup, while smaller events can choose self-managed setup.

Grip Onsite suits event organizers who need check-in, badge printing, attendance tracking, or access control. It can also serve sponsors and exhibitors through session leads and participant contact exchange.

Overview

Grip Onsite is an onsite event operations suite for organizers managing arrival, credentials, attendance, and access across a busy venue. It is best suited to conferences and exhibitions that need printed badges, session-level reporting, and optional location or networking signals in one workflow. The trade-off is a quote-based, equipment-oriented service rather than a simple self-serve software subscription.

Key features

Self-service kiosks allow attendees to check in and print a badge on arrival. Entrance staff can scan printed tickets, existing badges, or the event app, giving organizers several ways to handle different queues and ticket formats. Laminated and paper badges can be customized by size, orientation, and lanyard-hole placement, with an optional RFID sticker. QR and barcode support, attendee-data import, and both printing modes make it practical for importing an existing registration list and accommodating varied credential workflows.

Real-time attendance reporting records who arrived and when. Session check-in adds a more useful layer for conferences: organizers can see participation by session and provide sponsored-session badge scans to sponsors as leads. Badge scanning can also enforce access to exclusive areas, so the same credential can serve arrival, room control, and sponsor activation purposes.

Bluetooth Smart Badges let participants exchange contact information with a button press. They can also contribute to heat maps and session-tracking insights. Location Tracking can show which attendees visited booths or sessions and for how long. Those signals are potentially valuable for exhibitor follow-up and post-event planning, while organizers should choose them only when they have a clear use for the additional behavioral data.

Grip Onsite supports custom app branding, push notifications, interactive maps, sponsor features, matchmaking, lead qualification and enrichment, CRM sync, offline capture, and badge scanning. It can operate alone, alongside Grip Engage or Manage, or through a third-party registration system. Grip's integration directory covers registration and badging, floor-plan management, and exhibitor management, giving teams room to fit it into an existing event stack.

Pricing

Grip Onsite uses paid, custom pricing, with a quote required. That approach can suit organizers whose terminal, badge, support, and integration needs vary substantially, but it makes direct budget comparison difficult before a sales conversation. Events with fewer than four terminals can choose self-managed setup; larger or more equipment-intensive events are positioned for the supported installation model.

There is no published free plan, trial term, seat allowance, renewal schedule, or usage quota. The commercial decision therefore depends on the scope of the event and the services included in the quote rather than on a public tier structure.

Platforms

Grip's event apps run on Android, iOS, and the web. Branded apps are distributed through Google Play and the App Store; the stated minimum versions are Android 10 and iOS 17. The cloud service is hosted on Amazon AWS. Grip says it encrypts data at rest and in transit and follows GDPR and CCPA, with AWS certifications and Cyber Essentials certification noted on its security information.

Who it's for

Grip Onsite is aimed at event organizers, exhibitors, sponsors, and visitors across in-person, hybrid, and virtual programs. It is a strong match for conferences, trade shows, and other events where check-in, printed credentials, room access, sponsor lead capture, and attendance reporting need to connect. Teams that value on-site installation, testing, and event-day help will get the most from the service. A smaller event with fewer than four terminals can reduce operational overhead through self-managed setup, but organizers seeking a low-cost, software-only tool may find the equipment and quote process excessive.

Pros and cons

Pros

• One arrival-to-attendance workflow: check-in, badge printing, entrance scanning, session records, and restricted-area access can share the same credential process.
• Useful sponsor and exhibitor signals: sponsored-session scans, lead qualification, CRM sync, Smart Badges, and booth or session visit data extend the product beyond attendance counting.
• Flexible deployment: it works standalone, with Grip products, or with a third-party registration system, and supports offline capture.
• Operational support: equipment is delivered, installed, and tested by onsite staff or trained technicians, with support during the event; product support is available 24/7.

Cons

• Budget uncertainty: custom pricing and no public plan structure make it hard to compare costs or predict renewal terms.
• Equipment planning is required: typical badging setup takes two to six hours, usually the day before opening, so the service is not an instant software deployment.
• Advanced insights need a purpose: Smart Badge and location data add value for sponsors and analytics teams, but may be unnecessary for straightforward check-in.
• App version constraints: branded mobile apps require Android 10 or later and iOS 17 or later.

Alternatives

Choose Amego when a small event needs a free starting plan, a free trial, and support for up to 50 attendees on its Spark plan. HEPCon is the better fit for programmes under 50 contributions that need an always-free, offline-first agenda. Consider Cvent when you want a broader event platform with registration that can be tried for free and license-based solution selection. EventHex is an alternative paid option with a free trial across Android, iOS, web, and API access. Jybe is another paid event option, including macOS support. Navon Event Mobile App is a paid choice for teams focused on a mobile event app. Omnipress Mobile Event App suits organizations wanting quote-based mobile app delivery for events up to 5,000 attendees. PheedLoop is worth considering when published monthly dashboard and registration pricing is more useful to your budgeting process.

For narrower comparisons, browse Event Mobile App Software, Event Lead Capture Software, Event Badge Printing Software, or Event Management Software.

Verdict

Grip Onsite is a strong choice for professional event teams that need supported badge operations plus session, access, sponsor, and location data in one system. Its main reason to choose it is the combination of configurable onsite hardware workflows and deeper attendance or lead signals. Look elsewhere if you need transparent pricing, a short self-serve setup, or only basic mobile check-in without equipment and operational coordination.