5 Ways to Use QR Codes for Interactive Trade Show Experiences

Trade shows are great avenues for businesses to raise brand awareness, build partnerships, and stay current with the latest industry trends. 

But with so many businesses attending these events—including your competitors—it can be challenging to stand out. To capture potential customers‘ and partners’ attention, you have to leverage innovative solutions and get creative with your tradeshow booth ideas. 

Quick Response (QR) Codes are a great way to create interactive experiences and set your brand apart. They not only drive more traffic to your booth but also keep you connected to your audience long after the event is over. 

Here are some creative ways you can use QR Codes at your next trade show to increase engagement and keep your brand top-of-mind. 

1. Allow potential customers to test drive your product

Demonstrations are big drivers of engagement at trade shows. They can increase brand awareness and give potential customers a feel for your product, boosting their likelihood of buying it. 

Don’t let the opportunity to demonstrate your product pass you by at your next event. There are various ways to leverage QR Codes to create interactive experiences during trade shows, including:

• Gaming trade shows: Engage booth attendees with a Dynamic URL QR Code linked to your virtual demo to let them experience your game before downloading it. 
  
  
• Automotive trade shows: Use QR Codes for augmented reality (AR) to virtually allow attendees to build their custom dream cars.
  
  
• Beauty trade shows: Offer virtual try-ons using AR QR Codes to help attendees create Instagram-worthy looks.
  
  
• Consumer electronics: Depending on your product, you might use AR or VR QR Codes to offer immersive virtual demos or use a Dynamic QR Code linked to a sign-up form so attendees can save their spot in line for a live demo. 

2. Attract foot traffic through giveaways and gamification

Gamification is one of the most effective strategies for attracting attendees to your booth at trade shows—it increases engagement by 48%. 

To generate buzz, host a trade show contest, such as a QR Code scavenger hunt, where attendees scan codes to reveal clues about your brand. Then reward those who complete your challenge with anything from company merchandise to a free monthly subscription to your product.

You can also plan a QR Code giveaway, where you print QR Codes on freebies and give them to all visitors to help them remember your brand. To leave a lasting impression and encourage contestants to purchase your products, make it a Coupon QR Code.

3. Impress other exhibitors with high-tech business cards

Trade shows are goldmines for networking with business associates within your industry. You also get to scope out your competition and learn from the experts in your field. 

You can take your networking skills to the next level by exchanging contact info via a vCard QR Code. Also known as a virtual contact card, it allows people to save phone numbers and other contact information with a single scan, eliminating the need for manual exchanges. It also lets you update your contact details at any time, ensuring connections always have access to your latest info. 

Place your vCard QR Code on your business cards and distribute them to all your business connections. You can also wear a badge with a QR Code to simplify contact detail exchanges even more. 

4. Ensure your booth signage leaves a lasting impression

Your booth signage already tells visitors who you are and what you do, but you can add a little flavor by incorporating QR Codes on banners and signs. 

One of the best ways to leave a lasting impression is to link the QR Codes to exciting experiences or offers. Use a Video QR Code to direct audiences to interesting product videos, a Coupon QR Code to give them quick access to offers, or even a Business Page QR Code to provide more information about your brand. 

You can also use QR Codes for lead generation. Offer visitors quick access to a free ebook, guide, or other asset—they just need to scan the code, enter their contact details, and download the resource on the spot. 

If you want to connect on socials, give visitors a quick link to all your social media accounts with a Social Media QR Code. With one smartphone scan, attendees can follow and engage with you post-event, giving you more opportunities to turn them into customers. 

5. Collect feedback

Trade shows can be a great place to learn what you’re doing right and what you could improve to meet customers’ needs better and stand out in your industry.

Add a Feedback QR Code to materials like brochures, booth signage, and digital displays to offer seamless access to your product or service survey. Rather than filling out physical feedback forms, attendees can scan the code and give their opinions straight from their mobile devices at their leisure.

If you’re selling or giving away physical products, you can also use QR Codes on the packaging so attendees can respond once they get home. This is a great way to collect feedback from people who may not have the time to dig into your products or offer feedback during the trade show. 

To drive feedback both during and after the event, offer incentives like discounts or free ebooks. Some attendees may be more willing to engage when they know they’ll get something of value in return. 

Best practices for using QR Codes at trade shows

When properly leveraged, QR Codes can be valuable tools before, during, and after your event. Follow these best practices to maximize their value.

Enhance trade show marketing to attract customers to the event

Make sure you publicize your stand before the trade show to create a buzz and attract more attendees.

When you let your social media followers and email list know that you’ll be setting up a booth for the trade show, add an Event QR Code to your social media post or email. This way, your audience can save the date directly to their calendars.

You can also use QR Codes for event marketing by printing them on materials such as flyers, billboards, and print ads. This is a great way to broaden your audience, as it lets you connect with people outside your email list or social media following. 

Help attendees find your trade show booth

With 64% of event organizers expecting their budgets to rise, more businesses may join the trade show scene. While this is great for networking, it could also make it difficult for potential customers to find your booth on trade show floors. 

That’s another area where QR Codes come in handy. Use Video QR Codes to direct attendees to a video walkthrough of your venue, showing them how to get to your booth from different entry points. You can send these codes via email, embed them on your social media pages, or print them on flyers and position them at entry points (if your venue allows it). 

Personalize your designs to maintain a strong brand identity

Take advantage of custom QR Code designs to enhance your brand awareness and aesthetic and create a cohesive image for the trade show. You can make your QR Codes instantly recognizable by adding your brand colors, logo, and a snappy call-to-action (CTA). 

QR Code Generator PRO makes it easy to customize and brand your codes. You can display your company logo prominently on all codes, use your brand’s colors to promote consistency with other marketing materials, and add cool custom frames and edges to make them stand out. 

The best part? You don’t need additional software—just log into your account, pick the type of code you want to create, and customize it from the same place.  

Use QR Code tracking to measure attendee engagement

With many companies trimming their marketing budgets first during times of uncertainty, you need to make sure your money is going to the right places. This is something Dynamic QR Codes can help with. 

Since they’re trackable, they can provide valuable insights into your tradeshow marketing campaign’s performance, helping you direct resources to areas where you’ll see the biggest ROI. 

QR Code Generator PRO offers real-time analytics like scans over time, total and unique scans, scans by location, and scans by operating system, allowing you to gauge audience engagement and better understand your customers. 

For example, if you attended a three-day trade show, but 75% of your scans happened on the second day, you’ll know that’s the time period to focus most of your efforts in the future. And scans by operating system could show you the kinds of mobile devices your customers use so you can optimize future channels for those specific devices. 

Create memorable trade show experiences with QR Codes

From interactive product demos to high-tech networking, there’s no shortage of ways to use QR Codes to make an unforgettable impression at your next trade show. But why wait until then? Create a virtual event with QR Codes that showcases your brand front and center. 

QR Code Generator PRO makes it simple to create custom, branded QR Codes for any purpose. Whether you need a Dynamic URL Code to direct audiences to your product specs, a Video QR Code to show in-person attendees where to find your booth, or a Social Media QR Code for lead capture, QR Code Generator PRO has you covered. Plus, all Dynamic QR Codes are trackable, so you’ll get valuable insights into your customers and campaign performance. 

Sign up for QR Code Generator PRO today to make the most of your next trade show!