QR codes for events: tickets, schedules, Wi-Fi and feedback

• One code, one job, one label. Never a wall of unlabelled codes.
• Schedules and maps belong on a page you can update, not in the code itself.
• Signs: size for distance. Badges: 2.5 cm or more, on the front.
• Test every printed code in the venue, in the venue's light.

Events are where QR codes earn their keep. People are on their feet, holding a drink or a bag, and nobody wants to type a 40-character web address or a Wi-Fi password into a phone. A good code turns that into a two-second job. A bad one, or a wall of ten unlabelled codes, gets walked past.

The codes worth printing

The schedule. Put the programme on a mobile page and print a code to it on the entrance sign, the back of badges and every room door. Because it's a page, you can fix a change in time slots without reprinting anything. A square page is enough for a small event; a full site works too.

The guest Wi-Fi. A Wi-Fi QR code joins people to the network without anyone spelling out the password. Put it on table tents, by the coffee and on the opening slide. Print the network name and password beside the code for the few phones that won't scan.

A map or directions. For venues that are hard to find, a code on the invitation or the street sign pointing to a map link saves a lot of phone calls. Point it at the exact entrance, not the building's general address.

Feedback. A short form linked from a code on the last slide and the exit door gets far more responses than an email a week later. Keep the form to three or four questions. Add a UTM tag so you can tell slide scans from door scans; see UTM tracking for QR codes.

Social profiles. For speakers, performers and stallholders, a code to an X profile or post is a natural follow-up. The X QR code tool makes one from a username.

Sizing signs, badges and slides

People don't walk up to signs; they scan from wherever they stand. Size accordingly, using the rule of thumb of about one tenth of the distance:

• Badges are read at arm's length, 30 to 50 cm. A 2.5 to 3 cm code on the front works, as long as it isn't hidden behind the lanyard clip.
• Room signs at a door are read from a metre or two: 10 to 20 cm.
• Registration banners read from across a foyer need 30 cm or more.
• Slides: on a projector screen, make the code at least a third of the screen height and leave it up for a good 20 seconds. Phones in the back row see it small and at an angle.

The size calculator does the arithmetic, and the print templates include table tent and poster layouts.

Making codes people actually use

• Label every code. "Today's schedule", "Guest Wi-Fi", "Rate this session". A label under the code tells people what they'll get and makes them trust it.
• One code per sign. If a sign must carry two, separate them clearly and label both. Phones lock onto whichever code they see first.
• Light matters. Hotel ballrooms and festival tents are often dim and full of coloured spotlights. Black on white, matte stock, no laminate glare.
• Have a fallback. Print a short web address next to the main schedule code for people with old phones or cracked cameras.

The morning-of check

Before doors open, walk the venue with two phones and scan every code from where people will stand. Check that each one opens the right page, that pages load on the venue's Wi-Fi and on mobile data, and that nothing has been stuck over or swapped. Tampered codes are a real risk in public places; our guide to QR code security explains what to look for.

Weddings and private events

The same ideas scale down. A code on the invitation to a page with directions, parking and the timeline. A Wi-Fi code at the venue. A code at the end of the night to a shared photo album. If the page includes personal details such as addresses or phone numbers, keep its address unlisted and remember that anyone who scans a code can read it.

Questions

Should event tickets use QR codes from this generator?

No. Ticket codes need to be unique per person and checked against a database at the door, which needs a ticketing system. Use this generator for the public codes around an event: schedule, Wi-Fi, maps, feedback and social links.

How do I update the schedule after the signs are printed?

Point the code at a web page you control, such as a square page or your event site, and update the page. The printed code keeps working because the address doesn't change.

Do people actually scan codes at events?

They scan codes that solve a problem in the moment, like connecting to Wi-Fi or finding a room. A code with no clear benefit next to it gets ignored.