How to Use QR Codes at Your Meeting or Tradeshow

How to Use QR Codes at Your Meeting or Tradeshow

How to Use QR Codes at Your Meeting or Tradeshow QR Codes connect our physical and digital worlds. When you drive people to your website they get one step closer to doing business with you. Would you like an almost free means of digital lead exchange for your meetings? Or inexpensive electronic ticketing using mobile phones? Or a means of providing paragraphs of information and/or web links to your attendees without the use of paper? How about just improving attendee engagement? If so, then QR codes may soon be the answer for you. QR Codes Defined A QR code (abbreviated from Quick Response code) is a type of matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code) first designed for the automotive industry. More recently, the system has become popular outside of the industry due to its fast readability and comparatively large storage capacity. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be made up of any kind of data (e.g., binary, alphanumeric, or Kanji symbols) Created by Toyota subsidiary Denso Wave in 1994 to track vehicles during the manufacturing process, the QR code is one of the most popular types of two-dimensional barcodes. It was designed to allow its contents to be decoded at high speed. The technology has seen frequent use in Japan; the United Kingdom is the seventh-largest national consumer of QR codes. Japanese Smartphone users are unique. They are active Smartphone users and may represent a window into the future of Smartphone use in other countries. Original Application Already in use in Europe and Japan, QR codes were originally developed for print advertising. Instead of listing a lengthy web address for specific product HOW TO USE QR CODES AT YOUR MEETING OR TRADESHOW PAGE 2

information in the ad, all the reader has to do is take a picture of the postage stamp-size QR code in using a phone camera. The phone, using free software, converts the code into a product-specific web page which automatically opens. QR codes were meant as a shortcut to entering long web address via the phone keyboard. Comparison with Other Bar Code Technologies Broadly speaking, there are 2 types of bar codes in use today, one-dimensional bar code and 2- dimensional bar code. 1-D is by far the more common. A 1-D bar code appears on nearly every item you purchase at a supermarket. It is what enables you to perform self-checkout at The Home Depot. Every item at your drugstore bears a 1-D bar code. 1-D bar codes appear as a series of black bars representing numbers. 2-D bar codes can be alphanumeric and can store far more data than 1-D bar codes. Many states now include a 2-D bar code on the driver s licenses they issue. You will see 2-D bar codes on the UPS and FedEx packages you ship and receive. 2-D bar codes appear as patterns of black blocks. QR code is a 2-D bar code symbology. When compared to other 2-D symbologies, like PDF417, and to 1-D bar codes, it has characteristics that are advantageous to those of us in the events industry. Unlike PDF417, which is in wide use in our industry, QR can be printed using just about any printer. Printing PDF417 with anything but a laser printer is a risky proposition at best. QR can be scanned using a Smartphone camera; PDF417 bar codes can not. Why The Interest Now? QR code has been used extensively outside of the U.S., especially in Japan. Until very recently, there has been little interest in the U.S. Why the sudden interest? Smartphone s, that s why. To read a QR code, you need a QR code reader. The camera in a Smartphone, used in conjunction with a free QR code reading app, does the trick. HOW TO USE QR CODES AT YOUR MEETING OR TRADESHOW PAGE 3

About 15 years ago there was a forerunner to QR code. CueCat was developed by Digital Convergence Corporation. Unfortunately, the company was ahead of its time and is no more. The problem with CueCat was that you needed a CueCat reader, not in itself an altogether insurmountable problem, but nowhere near as convenient as a Smartphone. The fly in the ointment was that you had to be connected to a PC. That was an insurmountable problem. If you were reading a magazine and you saw an article or ad of interest with a CueCat bar code included, in order to read the code you had to be tethered to a PC. Run to your computer and fire it up? Not likely. CueCat was on to something, but it was not a user-friendly solution. I speak from firsthand experience. Forbes magazine promoted the use of CueCat. Through Forbes, I obtained a reader. As a tech junkie, I was enthralled with the concept, but not for long. But the promise of CueCat has been realized with QR code and the smartphone. The reader, your smartphone, is something almost always close at hand. There is no need to be connected to a computer or any other device. It is simple, which is what CueCat was not. This convergence of technology has made it convenient to read QR codes, but so what? Who Cares, Or Rather, Why Should We Care? According to February 2011 research from agency MGH, awareness is high among Smartphone owners. Nearly two-thirds have seen a QR code, and about half that number, or one-third overall, had used one. QR Codes connect our physical and digital worlds. When you drive people to your website they get one step closer to doing business with you. The physical world can be in the form of print media, such as an ad or article in a newspaper or magazine. I see an ad about the Ferrari. Heck, if I just set aside 100 bucks a week for the next 38 years, I can buy a Ferrari. I want to get a better look. I zap the QR code printed in the ad and a video appears on my phone. There is the Ferrari - my Ferrari - zipping through the hills of Tuscany. I can see myself in the driver s seat. Let me take a look under the hood. Beautiful! I wonder how fast it can accelerate in 60 seconds. Let me see the car in action. Wow! Gotta have it. Of course, I wouldn t even have the nerve to walk into a Ferrari showroom. Some snooty salesman would spot me for a penniless fraud right away. But on the Internet, I can shop Ferrari s along with the swells. (Of course, if Ferrari is adept at inbound marketing, it will be able to figure out who I am and market to me). QR Codes can contain any type of mobile content such as websites, phone numbers, contacts, and trigger any app on your mobile phone. HOW TO USE QR CODES AT YOUR MEETING OR TRADESHOW PAGE 4

QR codes are being printed on everything: Ads, brochures, posters, bar napkins, keycards used for hotel rooms, matchbook covers, T-shirts - the list goes on. And it makes perfect sense to include a QR code on your business card. By scanning the code, your contact information is imported directly into the Smartphone address book of the person scanning your card. For example, the QR code below contains all of my contact information including name, address, phone, email and web address. Retailers are using QR codes to reel in customers off the street. Some include a QR code in their window ads. The code might offer discounts and show items on sale. It could connect to a video showing how to set up and use a product. It could connect to product reviews. How about a call to action? Buy the deluxe widget in the next 30 minutes and we will give you a 10% discount. Or perhaps you are window shopping at 9:00 PM when the stores have closed. You spot just what you want, but you can t spare the time in the next 2 weeks to come back to purchase. But if you scan the QR code on the window, you can immediately place your order for home delivery. Now the store is open for business even when it s closed! Home Shopping Network, the TV purveyor of jewelry, clothing and cosmetics, ran a test from October 8-11 incorporating QR code into their TV ads. HSN wants to see if facilitating the purchase process through the use of QR codes it can increase sales. How Can QR Code Be Effectively Employed in The Events Industry? Businesses seem to be lagging behind the consumer in terms of use/support of mobile. According to the *Google study this spring: 85% of Mobile Devices will be web-enabled by 2012. This represents a significant opportunity. Let's segment the possibilities to before, during and after the event. HOW TO USE QR CODES AT YOUR MEETING OR TRADESHOW PAGE 5

Before: Every direct mail piece promoting your event should include a QR code. Do not simply link to material that can be found in print in your promotional material. What has impact? Video testimonials from attendees and exhibitors followed by a call to action, such as a form to register for your event - that is something that would have impact. Video of a featured speaker has impact. Video of a spirited seminar exchange has impact. When attendees have registered, consider sending a QR code to their mobile phones. Use the code to facilitate on-site badge printing. People lose or forget bar code printouts. It is far less likely that they will lose or forget their mobile phones. if you don't have the budget for a show directory app, consider a far less costly alternative. QR. Codes can be used to store meeting agendas, speaker bios, maps of the show floor and exhibitor listings and locations. You will not have the interactivity offered by an app, but aside from the labor involved in creating these PDF documents on your computer, the only cost is that of printing placards for placement throughout the show venue. You don t know who reads your ads and promotional literature, but QR code can change all that. When a reader scans the QR code, your call to action could result in the reader sending an email requesting whatever it is you have offered. That information could be a discount offer, a video, an ebook, a white paper and so on. Whatever it is, you ve captured that prospect s email address, at the very least. This will enable you to define the reader s interests and to offer them appropriate content. During: As mentioned, QR code-bearing placards can be placed prominently around the show venue to inform attendees of the agenda, layout of the show floor, etc. Show planners love that it helps cut down on printed materials: handouts, maps, agendas, etc. Rather than using printed speaker handouts, session speakers can post a QR code containing their notes in PDF format. Imagine having the ability to scan a barcode after a session and have a digital copy of the presentation right on your phone. They can also be used for promotional activities, such as treasure hunts. Attendees can share contact information in a number of ways using QR code. If their business cards bear a QR code, scanning the card will store contact information right in the recipient's address book. The same will be true if HOW TO USE QR CODES AT YOUR MEETING OR TRADESHOW PAGE 6

attendees' badges bear a QR code. If the show organizer wants to enable attendees to share the information they provided when registering, this is also possible. For exhibitors, QR code can mean the end of the inconvenience of having to rent a lead retrieval terminal. They will most likely continue to have to pay a fee to access the event attendee database, but it will likely cost less than if they had to rent equipment. The exhibitor will benefit by not having to stand in line to collect and later return a terminal at the end of the event. She will not have to learn how to use an unfamiliar device each time she exhibits. Appending notes and qualifiers to each lead will be a simple, familiar process. Then there is reverse lead retrieval. As an event attendee, have you ever experienced the frustration of spending time at an exhibit and before leaving being promised follow up information, or even a call, only to never hear another word from the exhibitor? Or perhaps you visited a booth with no one available to answer your questions. And then there are those exhibits in which you just might have an interest, but not enough to warrant engaging in a conversation with a sales person. The answer? Reverse lead retrieval. A QR code on the booth or on products within the booth will empower attendees, allowing them to obtain information, anonymously if they wish to opt out. Ideally they will not opt out, in which case their reverse lead is likely very valuable. Reverse lead retrieval can be particularly useful for organizations that exhibit at consumer shows. At your typical car or boat show, attendees are anonymous - they don't wear a badge. Through reverse lead retrieval, exhibitors can accumulate quality leads. After the Event: QR codes can continue to deliver after your event. If the business cards you've accumulated bear a QR code, it makes the job of entering contact information into your address book much easier. If you send letters or literature to attendee post-show, you can enhance their value by inclusion of a QR code that connects to video: testimonials from attendees reinforcing the value of the event; a video thank-you; a call to action - for example a registration form for a forthcoming event; a discount coupon for such an event or for a product or service offered at the event. HOW TO USE QR CODES AT YOUR MEETING OR TRADESHOW PAGE 7

Summary of Best Uses at a Tradeshow: Compose an email request for more info or demo sign up, dial a phone number, receive a text, link to a video demo, sign up for newsletter, or join a loyalty program. Attendees can to download, show guides, session handouts, generate a map Exhibitors can capture attendee s info in exchange for a free whitepaper, coupon, free trial or sample. Increase your Likes on Facebook or Followers on Twitter Add a vcard contact to their device Launch a Meeting invitation Attendees can enter their info for a Booth Prize Drawing, Take a Survey Attendee to Attendee Contact Exchange Electronic Ticketing Top 3 QR Code Mistakes People Make at Tradeshows There are so many great uses of QR Codes, especially at tradeshows. It s easy to make mistakes with new technology. Here are 3 of the worst QR code mistakes: 1. Using it in an email. Hint: At this point the recipients are already connected to the web! QR codes link people to the web, if they are used on a website or an email they are pointless and just for show. 2. Not sending people to a mobile optimized page, or worse, just your homepage. 3. Not having a lead capture form on the designated landing page. Is QR a Fad That Will Soon Be Replaced By The Next Big Thing? A number of experts have expressed the opinion that QR is a fad that will soon be supplanted by Near Field Communications (NFC). NFC is in its infancy. It may be at least several years before the technology is in widespread use. Even then, I don t see QR becoming obsolete. It is the most practical, inexpensive way to connect print media to online media, it also speeds up the sales cycle by providing attendees with instant access to information they want. HOW TO USE QR CODES AT YOUR MEETING OR TRADESHOW PAGE 8