If you want people to read your product and service information and yet want to reduce the amount of paper you bring to a trade show, QR codes may be your answer.

Quick Response or QR codes are that weird looking box found in the lower right hand corner of a product label. With an app on a Smartphone or tablet, the user has instant access to company or product information. In a recent projection by US based Gartner Research, by the year 2015 the number of Smartphones and media tablets worldwide will exceed one billion.

For the exhibitor looking to provide more information with a greater chance that it will be kept and reviewed, QR codes are the way to go. QR codes are similar in nature to bar codes that retailers use to identify the product, price, SKU, etc. The key difference is that a QR code is two dimensional which means it holds considerably more information. And the good news to exhibitors both large and small is that any business can easily generate their unique QR codes through the use of a QR generator.

Creating the code is generally free. It begins with your search of the internet for a generator such as Kaywa.com, QRstuff.com or 2d-code.co.uk or simply Google QR generator and sees the number of sites available. Once you have found a generator, customizing a QR code is a relatively simple task.

Before you start you need to consider how the QR code will be used. Do you want your customers to be directed to a certain page on your web-site, given contact information or receive a text about a specific product offerings?

Now, using a generator, you can create the QR code that works in your situation. Some generators allow you to customize your QR code with colour and format. You can place your QR code on specific products, informational graphics or on your literature and business card. The more places the better.

When you are engaged in a conversation with a visitor, rather than offering them a brochure you can suggest they scan your QR code onto their electronic device. You can offer additional customer service for the visitor who does not have a QR code reader installed. In your pre-show invitations, let your prospects know what you will be offering at the show and that the information will be available through QR codes. Then give them the URLs for the apps that they can download. Some of the more popular reader apps are Red Laser, Barcode scanner and i-inigma.

If they have arrived at your booth without the appropriate app then you can help them find the right download for their device in a matter of seconds.

There are some who say QR codes are already passé and the marketplace is heading towards a need for more information that what QRs can provide. While there is truth to this premise and technology continues to improve at break-neck speed, specific visual cues such as we see in a QR code remain an important means of exchanging data and linking to virtual locations.

For the exhibitor looking to add value to their trade show investment, QR technology and the benefit of having an increased exposure to information, at very little cost, leaves the decision to take the plunge a no-brainer.