Industry guide
QR codes for events and conferences
Conference QR codes should be on badges (both sides), on session signage, and on the last slide of every talk. Badge codes should carry a short opaque id or a profile URL — not a full vCard, which puts personal data into a pattern anyone can photograph.
Badges: print both sides
Lanyards rotate. A single-sided badge is unscannable half the time, and asking a stranger to turn their badge over is the friction the code was meant to remove.
Use matt badge pouches. Glossy PVC under conference lighting reflects and the code inside becomes unreadable.
What to encode on a badge
| Payload | Trade-off |
|---|---|
| Short opaque id | Best for door scanning and lead capture; nothing personal on the badge |
| Profile URL | Updatable, attendee controls what is shared, short payload |
| Full vCard | Works offline, but bakes personal data into a photographable pattern |
A profile URL is usually right: short payload means a coarse, easily scanned code, and the attendee can decide what it shows.
Session signage
- 10–20 cm of code for a 1–2 m corridor distance.
- Point at that session's page — abstract, speaker, slides, feedback form.
- Add a calendar event code so attendees can add the session to their diary. Store times in UTC, or international attendees get the wrong hour.
The last slide
The highest-yield code at any conference is on the final slide of a talk, left up during Q&A. Twenty seconds minimum on screen; the whole Q&A is better. Size it at 15% of screen height and accept that the back rows will use the printed URL instead.
Feedback
A code on the exit door of each room, pointing at a one-question form. One question. Every extra field halves the response rate.