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The gear on our check-in table, and the people a show books

The card reader, tablet, stand and power the kiosk runs on, what the show itself needs in shade, signs, cash handling and sound, and the vendors other organizers recommend. Picked by people who have run the table, with a plain note on why.

Updated September 3, 2026

Nothing on this page is required. Car Show HQ runs on whatever phone or laptop you already own. This is what makes the check-in table quick and the day calm, sorted by where it goes.

Some of these are affiliate links: Car Show HQ may earn a commission when you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, Car Show HQ earns from qualifying purchases. We only list things we would put on our own table.

For your check-in table and voting

Card readers

Tap to pay at the kiosk: the charge lands on the reader, the entry reconciles itself.

Square Stand by Square: Turns the registration iPad into a checkout: tap, insert, or swipe right at the table. The kiosk pushes the charge to it, the entrant taps their card, and the registration reconciles itself. Plan on one stand per 50 cars you expect to register on the day; the line moves at the speed of the slowest tap.
Square Handheld by Square: The pocket-size Square terminal for the gate: a card from a car window, done in a tap. Gate Mode collects from cars that still owe as they roll up. A terminal that lives in an apron pocket means the volunteer never walks the driver back to the table. It runs Square on its own screen, so it works even when the crew phone is busy scanning passes.

Tablets and stands

The kiosk and the voting station run on an iPad in a stand people can reach.

iPad (A16) by Apple: The registration kiosk and the voting station run on this. One per station. The base iPad is all the kiosk needs; nothing here benefits from a Pro. Count one per 50 cars for registration, plus one as a fixed voting station if you want people voting somewhere other than their own phones.
Tablet floor stand: A locking floor stand that puts the kiosk at standing height beside the table. A tablet lying flat on a table gets picked up, turned, and dropped. A locking floor stand keeps it upright at the entrant's eye level with the camera window open, so the setup QR still scans. One per kiosk or voting station; the base is heavy enough for grass.
Anti-glare iPad screen protector: The sun makes a glossy screen unreadable by ten in the morning. This fixes that. Registration tables sit outside more often than not. A matte protector costs less than the first entrant who gives up and walks away. Fit it the night before, not at the table.

Power

Fields do not come with outlets.

Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 by Jackery: Enough to run a table of tablets and a card terminal all day. Small enough to hide under it. Fields do not come with outlets. One of these under each table keeps that table alive without extension cords across the walkway. Buy one per table rather than one big unit if your stations are spread out.
Jackery HomePower 3600 by Jackery: One central power source for the whole registration area, with cords out to each table. The other way to solve power: one big unit at the tent and extension cords to the stations. Simpler to charge, one thing to carry, and it will also run a PA and a screen. Pair it with the outdoor power strip.
Outdoor power strip: Gets power from the unit to the devices, and survives a little dew. Every station has two or three things to plug in and the power unit has fewer outlets than that. A weather-rated strip with a long cord means one unit feeds a whole tent.
Laptop power bank: Keeps the laptop and a kiosk charged without running power to the table at all. For a small show, or a table far from the tent, a big power bank does the job of a power station at a fraction of the size. Charge it the night before and it covers the day.

Connectivity

Mobile hotspot: Your own Wi-Fi for the table. Without a connection the kiosk is a very nice clipboard. Venue Wi-Fi is a promise, not a plan. A hotspot on the show's own SIM keeps registration, check-in, and the live board running when the field's coverage falls over at ten in the morning, which it will. Test it at the actual table position beforehand.

Laptops

MacBook Neo by Apple: An inexpensive laptop for the person running the day: registrants, results, the awards script. The staff side of Car Show HQ works on a phone, but the person finalizing results and reading the awards script wants a real screen and a keyboard. This one is enough and costs less than a trophy order.

Screens

Hisense 50-inch E6SR 4K Roku TV by Hisense: A 50-inch 4K smart TV for the live leaderboard and the voting QR, at a price that fits a club budget. Big enough to read from across the field, light enough for one person to carry, and it fits flat in the back of an SUV. The 2026 E6SR runs Roku, so the live results page is one browser away, and the QLED panel stays readable in shade. Pair it with the rolling stand below.
Portable TV stand: Puts the live leaderboard, or a giant voting QR code, where the crowd can see it. The live results page is built for a big screen. A rolling stand takes any TV you already own to the field and gives it eye height. Also the best place to hang the voting QR.

For the show itself

Shade and seating

Pop-up canopy: You and your devices need shade. Tablets shut down in direct sun; volunteers wilt slower but they do wilt. A ten-by-ten tent is the registration area. It marks where people go, keeps screens readable, and keeps the iPads from overheating. Weight the legs; a gust takes an unweighted canopy across the field.
Folding tables: Somewhere to put the kiosks, the cards, and the cash box. Two six-foot tables under the canopy: one for registration, one for cards and trophies. Height-adjustable ones let the kiosk stand sit at the right level for a standing entrant.
Folding chairs: Somewhere to sit. The day is long. One per volunteer at the table, plus a couple of spares for the entrant who needs a minute. Nobody regrets bringing chairs.

Signs and windshield cards

Display easel: Holds a big voting QR code at eye height, wherever the crowd gathers. Every windshield card carries the QR, but a poster-size one on an easel at the entrance and near the food is what gets the spectators who never look at a windshield. Print the QR from Show day tools.
Chisel-tip Sharpie by Sharpie: For writing Car Numbers on blank windshield cards. Big, dark, readable across a hood. The numbered cards print the night before; the walk-ups get a blank card and a number written by hand at the table. A fine-tip marker is unreadable from the crowd; a chisel tip is not. Bring more than one.

Cash handling

Locking cash box: Keeps the day's cash in one place, with a lid that locks. A cash-only gate takes in real money by mid-morning. A box with a lock and a coin tray, kept under the table, is the difference between a real count when the gate closes and a guess.
Cash apron: For the gate volunteer taking cash from car windows, hands free. Gate Mode puts one volunteer with a phone at the entrance. The apron holds the change, the phone, and the pen, so both hands are on the transaction and nothing is set down on a hood.

Sound and communication

Portable PA speaker: Announcements and the trophy ceremony, without hiring a DJ. The awards script reads well through a wireless mic and a speaker on a stand. If you have a DJ, they bring this. If you do not, this is the whole sound system, and it runs off the power station.
Walkie-talkies: Gate to table to trophy tent, without anyone walking it. Phones work until the field's coverage does not. A set of radios keeps the gate, the registration table, and whoever is parking cars talking to each other all day. Charge them the night before.

Services: the people a show books

Sound, trophies, tents, food. The Services tab in Manage lists vendors other organizers recommended, each with the states they work in, so you know before you call whether they will come to you. Nobody pays to be listed and vendor links go to the vendor’s own site. The list is new and grows one show at a time: if a DJ, a trophy shop or a tent company ran your show well, tell us on the Services tab.

Next, open Gear & services in Manage and start with the hotspot: without a connection the kiosk is a very nice clipboard.

Keep reading

Gear, answered

Do I need any of this to use Car Show HQ?

No. Registration and voting run on any phone or laptop with a browser. The gear on this page makes the check-in table faster and the day smoother: a reader takes cards at the kiosk, a stand keeps the tablet where people can reach it.

Are these affiliate links?

Which card reader works with the kiosk?

For a show that takes payments through Square, a Square Stand turns the registration tablet into a checkout and a Square Handheld takes cards at the gate. Shows on Stripe or PayPal take cards on the hosted checkout page instead.

Where do the services come from?

From organizers. Every vendor on the Services tab was recommended by someone who used them at a show, and each listing says which states they work in. Nobody pays to be listed, and vendor links go to the vendor's own site. Tell us about yours on the Services tab in Manage.

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