Cutting Edge: QR Codes Add a High-Tech Dimension to Your Event or Meeting

Posted by: Tim Supples

Tuesday, February 8th, 2011

Welcome to Cutting Edge, a series of posts that highlight the latest in technology and trends that you should know for your next event or meeting.

That’s not new-age art, a Rorschach test, or even a standard bar code you’re looking at. What you see above is a QR (Quick Response) code, originally created by a Toyota subsidiary in 1994. Commonly found in vehicle manufacturing for parts tracking, the QR code has become a marketing hit in 2010 with the proliferation of smart phones.

What does a glorified barcode do for me?

A QR code allows you to store more than 4,000 alphanumeric characters in an easily shareable image. This can be anything you want like a phone number, website address, or anything else you can think of. Given that smartphones are most used to scan a mobile QR code, web addresses are the most common information stored in a QR code.

But this doesn’t have to be just a link to your website: go crazy, be sneaky, and think outside the barcode with links to things like:

• Your Twitter account or Facebook business page
• A customized landing page designed for the target audience that sees this QR code
• A special video, preferably hosted in a social setting like YouTube
• Yelp, Google Places, Foursquare, or other social location page

Where should I display these QR codes?

If you can print it or display it on a screen, you can get your QR code out however you want. An intriguing icon like a QR code will get attention from your prospects with the right application, so choose wisely.

Some common applications include printing in a brochure, on signage at the event, or even displaying on an electronic billboard or monitor at the event.

These are all viable options, but think more carefully about the content of the code in addition to where it is displayed. A QR code with just your website address would be wasted on a brochure that already has that information. Instead, capitalize on your attendee’s interest with a custom landing page, special discount code, or other unique content that would be of particular interest to THAT attendee.

One innovative tactic for QR code usage would be to place the codes on freebie giveaway items. A keychain, plush animal, or backpack could be the perfect place to print your QR code and have it stay with your attendee.

A simple web search will yield many QR code generators, with varying options and capabilities. A couple just-get-it-done generators that we like are QRStuff and Sparq Code.

If you want to get a little more involved with QR codes, you will want to find a service that allows you to create a profile and track what happens with the QR codes you’ve generated. Such services are all pretty new, so be sure to give them a thorough trial run before getting too invested. Here are some that we have found in our travels:

• myQR.co
• QReateBUZZiCandy

Once you’ve got your QR code generated and printed/displayed to your desire, your attendees can scan the code using any number of free barcode scanning apps for their respective smartphone.

Since your average smartphone user may not already have a barcode scanner, include a call to action that succinctly explains what to do:

“Smartphone interactive, barcode scanner app needed”

There are of course many barcode scanning apps for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry smartphones. You and your attendees can generally look for a top-rated app on your smartphone. We tend to like RedLaser for iPhone, Barcode Scanner for Android, and QR Code Scanner Pro for Blackberry. Note that some Blackberry code scanning apps are particular about which device you’re using.

That’s it – get scanning away!

Now you’ve got the fundamentals to put QR codes to work for you and your event or meeting.

Have you seen any cool uses of QR codes for marketing? Do you have any plans to use QR codes at your events? Shout out in the comments!