QR-Code, the Future of Phone Apps at a Trade Show

Every vendor on a trade show floor is fighting to draws visitors to their booth. Vendors spend thousands of dollars on displays, marketing material, presenters, and staff. Each has a specific goal – make it easy for the attendee to obtain information. In 2011, techno geeks are now marketing the QR-code as a quick way to distribute information at a trade show, but I say "Don' waste your time on it."

Why QR-Code Fails

The QR-Code is a hybrid matrix barcode that requires a barcode reader on your smartphone to display the information. Imagine we are walking the trade show floor – bag in hand, the newest giveaway trinket in the other and we come to a booth. There are products we have an interest in discussing. Alongside the product is a square barcode (QR-Code). The vendor is now expecting the attendee to reach into their pock and find their smartphone, launch the barcode reader app – That is, if you have a smartphone and have the barcode reader app loaded. Next, you have to scan the code, which takes you to the information web page on your phone. Let's be realistic, most people would not waste their time. You can get a better response with a dedicated person requesting the attendee's email address and having a staff member email the information directly to the attendee.

Having a person dedicated to just emailing information is costly from a vendor perspective, but makes it easy for an attendee to obtain the information they need to buy your product or service. I feel it is better to turn your booth into a drive-through information center then having frustrated executive fumbling around with a smartphone.

QR-Code is excellent for selling product or service that link directly to a smartphone, but the number of people who have barcode apps or their phone, let alone know how to work it, is limited. Save that precious space on your literature for a real web URL- company log or better yet, a picture of the product then placing technology crazed QR-Code.