Compare
Six ways live events count who came.
Which attendance signal proves someone arrived?
Clicks, RSVPs, and followers measure interest before the event. Ticket sales measure payment. A door count measures how many people entered, without names or credit. Verified presence is best when you need a specific arrival and the referral path credited under the stated rule. The other signals fit better when that is not the question you are answering.
Published . Updated .
Attendance signals side by side
| Signal | What it proves | What it misses | Can it be faked? | Does it attribute turnout? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Click | A link was opened. | Whether the person had any intention of going, let alone arrived. | Trivially, by bots and repeat opens. | Yes, to the link that was clicked. |
| RSVP | Someone stated an intention to attend. | Whether the intention survived to the night of the show. | Easily, and it costs the person nothing. | Yes, if the RSVP came through a tracked path. |
| Follower | Attention on a platform at some point in time. | Location, intent, and whether the person attends anything at all. | Yes, and followers are openly bought. | No. |
| Ticket sale | Money changed hands, often weeks in advance. | Whether the buyer arrived, and who influenced the purchase. | Not easily, but no-shows are invisible. | Possible when the ticketing provider retains permitted referral context. |
| Door count | How many bodies entered the room. | Who they were, where they came from, and who brought them. | Subject to manual error and dispute. | No. |
| Verified presence | A specific person arrived, with the evidence behind it recorded. | Unobserved attendance, purchase evidence and causality not independently established. | Evidence can be incomplete or spoofed; qualification depends on the supported policy. | Recorded credit when the declared rule and source context support it. |
Common questions
A ticket sale records a purchase, which can happen weeks before the event and says nothing about whether the buyer arrived. Verified presence records the arrival itself from evidence collected at the venue, so no-shows are visible rather than counted as audience.
The useful signal depends on the question and method. A policy-qualified arrival records scoped evidence; invitation credit is separate. A door count measures volume and a ticket sale records a purchase. None alone establishes causal lift.
Each signal answers a different question. RSVPs describe stated intent and followers describe an online relationship. Use scoped attendance evidence for recorded arrivals and a separate validated model or comparison for prediction or causal lift.
Yes. Tally reports verified presence alongside a clearly labeled estimated total, so a venue can compare confirmed arrivals against the full room. The estimate is labeled as an estimate rather than merged into the counted figure.
Related
RSVP vs verified presence
The single sharpest distinction, in detail.
Learn more →Verified presence
How Tally establishes and labels an attendance record.
Learn more →Glossary
Definitions for the terms used on this page.
Learn more →For venues
What a venue sees before, during, and after a show.
Learn more →