EventPilot® includes free lead retrieval that enables your exhibitors and other attendees to collect basic contact info by simply scanning the QR code on a badge. This badge scanner is also available as a standalone app if you search for BadgeScanner™ in the app stores.
This feature is designed to work offline so you do not need to provide WiFi for your exhibitors.
The QR code you print on the badges must include the core contact information, which you can typically specify via your registration system. This usually includes the user's first and last name, badge ID, and email address. You can optionally add information like title or organization. (Mailing address fields are not supported.)
Browse the list of supported QR formats below. Choose a format that includes all of the fields you wish to use.
Ensure to test your QR codes.
TipLimit the content in the QR code as much as possible to increase your scanning success rate. The fewer characters in your content, the simpler the QR code image is. Highly complex QR codes with a lot of content contained in the image can be difficult to scan for some devices. Scanning success depends on the complexity of the code, the device camera, lighting conditions, and the printed size of your QR code. |
If you are using event registration software, you can typically add QR codes and have the system generate those based on your specifications. We have had clients use CDS and Abila successfully with the badge scanner feature.
If you are managing a small event without a registration software, you may use a variety of QR code generators online (Search for "QR Generator").
If your proof app or the free BadgeScanner app does not recognize your particular QR code, please send a couple of QR code samples along with the data they contain to your Project Manager or support@ativsoftware.com. We can review if it’s feasible to add your particular QR code. Customization fees may apply.
Exhibitors and attendees can scan with the app, take notes, and export the contact list. The exported data is available in a CSV file format, which can easily be imported into mail applications or CRM systems.
If you restrict exhibitors from using your event app, your exhibitors can install the free "BadgeScanner Lead Retrieval" app from the app store to scan the QR codes.
The following QR Code Structures are built into the app already. Think of each structure as a spreadsheet table with a set number of columns and column headers. The symbols you see are the column delimiters.
For example:
| First Name | Last Name | |
| John | Doe | jdoe@acme.com |
If your delimiter is ^, you can transfer this table like this:
John^Doe^jdoe@acme.com
If you are missing the first name, you'd leave the first column empty but still indicate the column:
^Doe^jdoe@acme.com
If the last name is missing, you'd do the following:
John^^jdoe@acme.com
If the email is missing, you still add the column indicator:
John^Doe^
If you just have the last name, it would look like this:
^Doe^
If you just had the email, it would look like this:
^^jdoe@acme.com
The order of your columns must be an order that is supported in the badge scanner!
If you are mixing up the delimiters or shifting the order, you are now placing content into the wrong fields. The following incorrect example would place the email in the last name field and the last name in the first name field:
Doe^jdoe@acme.com
Supported QR Code Structures (Syntax)
You must follow the field sequence shown for your chosen format. See example above for information on handling blank/empty fields.
Syntax:
first^last^email^organization^badge^title
Example:
John^Doe^jdoe@acme.com^ACME Org^2018001^Support
Syntax:
BadgeID$Event$First$Last$Email$Org
Example:
219281$ABC123$SILKE$FLEISCHER$info@ativsoftware.com$ATIV
Syntax:
org|badge|first|last|email
Example:
New College|732498|Jane|Smith|smith@newcollege.edu
Syntax:
ID^first^last^title^org^tel^url^email
Example:
987432^Steve^Johnson^Manager^Big Box Store^9998887777^www.bigboxstore.com^johnson6@bigboxstore.com
MeCard Format
Learn more about the MeCard format
Syntax:
MECARD:N:lastname,firstname;EMAIL:email;ORG:organization;TEL:phonenumber;TITLE:title;URL:website;;
Example:
MECARD:N:Fleischer,Silke;EMAIL:info@ativsoftware.com;ORG:ATIV;TEL:707-336-2848;TITLE:CEO;URL:ativ.me;;
vCard Format
Learn more about the vCard format
Syntax:
BEGIN:VCARD
VERSION:3.0
N:Last;First
TEL:xxx-xxx-xxxx
EMAIL:emailaddress
ORG:organization
END:VCARD
Example:
BEGIN:VCARD
VERSION:3.0
N:Johnson;Steve
TEL:123-123-1234
EMAIL:steve@abc.com
ORG:ABC Company
END:VCARD
Try Creating Your Own QR Code
- Go to https://www.qr-code-generator.com/
- Select type TEXT
- Copy and paste one of the structures above into the text field
- Press the Generate QR Code button
- Use the EventPilot Badge Scan app to scan your QR code
Use Mail Merge
If you use Microsoft Word, you may be able to use its Mail Merge feature (These instructions were shared by a client - thank you!)
- Open Word, create a mail merge
- Design label as needed using mail merge fields as desired
- Press Ctrl+F9 to insert a blank mail merge field
- Insert code MERGEBARCODE Field_Name QR \h 1 \q L in between the { brackets }
- Replace Field_Name with the merge field name from your excel file that you want to convert to a QR code
How do I know what's in my QR Code? (Decode a QR Code)
If you have received a QR code image from a third party and you are trying to find out what its content is, you can decode the image via this website:
https://zxing.org/w/decode.jspx
Simply upload an photo of the QR code and the website will show you what it contains.
Using Google Chrome on your mobile device, you can also Scan a QR code and Google will decode the contents of the code for you.
Note: line breaks in the individual text fields are not supported
Troubleshooting Tips
When testing my QR code, the app is not able to scan the contact.
Please double-check that your syntax matches your chosen format exactly. Each delimiter must be present for the app to recognize the format. See example above for handling empty columns/unused fields.
When testing my QR code, some information is appearing in the wrong field.
Please double-check that the order of your fields matches your chosen format exactly. If the content is entered in the wrong position, it will end up in the wrong field.
I have created a QR code using VCARD and it's scanning the code but not parsing any results - the fields are blank?
- Download an image of your QR code to your computer
- Upload the image on https://zxing.org/w/decode
- Compare the RAW TEXT field with the required Syntax
- If everything appears in a single line, line breaks are missing between the fields
- If there is extraneous text or symbols, it should be removed
Your VCARD needs to look like this in the RAW field :
BEGIN:VCARD
VERSION:3.0
N:Last;First
TEL:xxx-xxx-xxxx
EMAIL:emailaddress
ORG:organization
END:VCARD
This VCARD is missing the line breaks and cannot be parsed:
BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Last;First TEL:xxx-xxx-xxxx EMAIL:emailaddress ORG:organization END:VCARD