QR codes for trade shows and conferences
At a busy trade show you get a few seconds with each visitor, and business cards get left in hotel rooms. QR codes on your badge, stand and banners let people take your details, start a conversation or ask for a quote before they walk on. This guide covers which code to use where, and how to print them so they scan across a crowded hall.
By Aidan Lowson · Updated
Why QR codes work at events
- No queue for a card. When your team is busy, visitors can scan the banner and go, instead of waiting or leaving.
- Leads arrive in your phone, not a fishbowl. A scan that saves a contact or starts a message gives you something to follow up on.
- Nothing to install. Phone cameras read QR codes on their own, so nobody needs your event app.
Which code for which job
- Name badge or lanyard: a contact card (vCard) QR code with your name, company, number and email. Whoever you meet saves you in one scan, even with no signal.
- Stand and banners: a WhatsApp QR code with a pre-filled message like "Hi, we met at the stand. I'd like to know more about…". The visitor sends it when they're ready, and you have their number.
- Brochures and price lists: an email QR code to your sales inbox with a subject like "Quote request from the show". Every event lead lands under one subject.
- Product displays: a link QR code to the product page, data sheet or demo video.
Where to put them on your stand
- Chest height on the main banner, where people standing in the aisle can scan without walking up to it.
- On the front of the counter, for people waiting to talk to someone.
- On every handout, so the brochure someone finds in their bag next week still leads back to you.
- On a screen or tablet that shows a large code between demos.
Get your codes ready in 4 steps
- Decide what each code should do: save a contact, start a chat, send an enquiry or open a page. One action per code.
- Make each one with the matching generator. Your colours and logo carry over when you switch between QR types, so the set matches.
- Download SVGs for banners and printed materials, and PNGs for screens and slides.
- Print a test at full size and scan it from where visitors will stand, under bright lights, before you send the banner to the printer.
Size and print tips
- Use the one-in-ten rule. Make the code about a tenth of the scanning distance: 20 cm wide to scan from 2 metres, 30 cm from 3 metres.
- Dark code, light background. Brand colours are fine if they are dark enough to contrast with the background.
- Matt materials. Glossy banners catch the hall lighting and hide parts of the code.
- Say what happens. "Scan to WhatsApp our team" gets more scans than a code on its own.
Following up after the event
Static QR codes don't count scans, so measure results in your inbox and chats instead. A pre-filled subject or message makes event leads easy to filter. Reply within a day or two while the conversation is fresh.
For the cards you hand out, see how to put a QR code on your business card.
Frequently asked questions
How big should a QR code be on a trade show banner?
Roughly a tenth of the distance people scan from. For a pull-up banner read from 2 metres, that is about 20 x 20 cm. Put it at chest height, not near the floor.
Can I see how many people scanned my code at the event?
Not with a static code, because scans do not pass through a tracking server. Count the results instead: contacts saved, chats started, emails received. A pre-filled subject line makes event leads easy to find.
Will the codes work if the venue has bad signal?
Contact card codes work with no signal, because the details are stored in the code. WhatsApp, email and website codes need a connection to finish the job, so offer a contact card as a fallback.
Should every member of the team have their own code?
For badges and business cards, yes, so leads reach the person they spoke to. For the stand itself, use one shared code to a team inbox or sales WhatsApp number.
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