An event QR code has two jobs: it must be easy to use in the venue, and it must lead to a destination that helps the attendee at that moment. Tracking is useful only after those basics work.
Start by deciding whether you need a simple combined activity total or a genuine placement comparison. That choice determines whether one QR code is enough and whether the plan’s QR-code limit fits the event.
The placement rule
If the same QR code is printed at the entrance, on a booth sign, and on a handout, its total activity does not automatically reveal which physical placement produced each scan. The code is the same, so those placements are combined unless another verified tracking method keeps them separate.
One QR code or separate codes?
One code is usually the simplest choice when every sign has the same purpose and you only need overall activity. It reduces setup work and makes last-minute testing easier. The tradeoff is that you cannot use the combined total to rank the physical placements.
Separate codes can keep a small number of placements operationally distinct, but only when the account has enough capacity. GreenQR Link currently lists one QR code on Free and up to five on Pro. If an event needs six or more separate codes, neither published allowance fits that plan as described. Do not create a design that assumes unlimited codes.
Before printing, confirm in the dashboard how analytics are shown for each code and whether the reporting view supports the comparison you intend to make. Label each code in your own event notes with its placement and destination. Separate codes improve organization, but they do not prove that a scan caused a sale or registration.
Before the event: make a measurement plan
Choose one primary action
Decide what an attendee should do first: open a schedule, request information, join a waitlist, view a menu, or reach another specific destination. A clear goal makes the sign and destination easier to evaluate.
Decide whether one code is enough
Use one code when all placements serve the same purpose and a combined activity total is acceptable. Use separate codes only when you need placements kept distinct and your plan has enough QR-code capacity.
Confirm the plan limit
The current GreenQR Link plan table lists one QR code on Free and up to five on Pro. A Free account therefore cannot create a separate GreenQR Link QR code for every sign, badge, handout, and table.
Test the complete path
Scan the final printed-size code on more than one phone. Confirm that the destination loads, the important action is visible on a small screen, and no sign-in is required unless that is intentional.
During the event: remove scanning friction
Place it where a person can pause
Avoid moving crowds, glare, folds, curved surfaces, and locations where scanning would block other attendees.
Make access practical
Give the code enough contrast and quiet space. Place it at a reachable height and include a short URL or staff-assisted alternative when possible.
State the result of scanning
Use a specific call to action such as “Scan for today’s schedule.” Avoid a bare “Scan me” when the visitor cannot tell what will open.
Recheck from the venue
Test with venue lighting and connectivity. If the destination is slow or difficult to use on mobile, fix the experience before directing more people to it.
After the event: review only what the data supports
GreenQR Link lists scan activity, pageviews and visitors, together with countries and cities, referrers and UTMs, devices and operating systems, and browsers and languages. Some supporting fields may be absent because the source did not provide them. Use what is present as context, not as a complete account of attendee behavior.
- Record the exact event dates and hours before opening the analytics.
- Review scan activity, pageviews, visitors, and any available location, referrer, UTM, device, browser, operating-system, or language context.
- Compare only codes or periods that served a similar purpose.
- Do not treat pageviews, visitors, or scans as confirmed registrations, sales, or unique attendees.
- Document what changed and what you will test at the next event.
- If the destination is no longer useful, update it carefully and test the code again before leaving printed material in circulation.
Example: a three-placement conference setup
Example: A conference exhibitor wants to compare an entrance poster, a booth counter card, and a staff badge. This is an illustrative setup, not a report of results from an actual customer.
On the Free plan, the exhibitor has one GreenQR Link QR code. It can place that same code in all three locations and measure combined activity, but it should not claim that the analytics identify the best placement. The exhibitor can still record staff observations and ask a voluntary form question such as “Where did you see us?” if that form is appropriate and privacy expectations are clear.
On Pro, the published limit of five QR codes can accommodate three separate codes. The exhibitor can label them “entrance,” “counter,” and “badge” in its event notes, confirm before printing that each code’s activity is separately reviewable, and use the same attendee action across all three. That creates a cleaner comparison, but the result still shows recorded activity—not proof of who scanned or why.
A five-minute preprint checklist
- □ The destination and attendee action are clear.
- □ The number of QR codes fits the account plan.
- □ Every final code was scanned from its printed proof.
- □ The destination works on mobile and in venue conditions.
- □ The sign explains what the scan will open.
- □ Separate placements are labeled in the event notes.
- □ The team knows which outcomes analytics cannot prove.
Finish with one documented lesson
The goal is not to produce a perfect attribution report. It is to leave the event with one defensible lesson: a placement was easier to use, a call to action was clearer, a mobile page needed work, or a future comparison needs separate codes. Write that lesson down and design the next event around it.