PULTEVENT
QR code audience engagement: 7 things one scan can start at an event
A charity dinner in a museum hall, the lights dimmed for the auction. On the screen above the stage there's a square black-and-white code, and at table eleven a retired surgeon is holding his phone at arm's length, torch accidentally switched on, moving it slowly towards the screen like he's trying to catch a moth. His wife reaches over, turns the torch off, taps the camera once. The phone buzzes. He's in the raffle.
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That little moment is the whole promise of a QR code at an event: it takes the gap between "I'd like to join in" and "I've joined in" down to about three seconds. Most phone cameras read a QR code without any extra app, and the link opens straight in the browser.
PULTEVENT uses a QR code as the front door to everything guests do from their phones. The host runs the event from a laptop, the code appears on the projector or TV, and a scan takes guests to voting, quizzes, the raffle or a room-wide game. No download and no sign-up. What the code can't do is supply internet: phones need Wi-Fi or mobile data once they've scanned, so plan the connection as carefully as the content.
7 kinds of engagement a QR code can start
1 QR raffle
Guests scan to enter, the draw runs on the big screen, and the winning name appears in front of everyone. No tickets, no bowl.
How to run it. Open the raffle at the start and draw it at the end, so the code works as an attendance incentive.
Paper tickets get lost in coat pockets. A name on a phone doesn't.
2 Live vote
A question and a few options. Guests scan, vote, and watch the bars move.
How to run it. Use the first vote to get everyone connected. Make it easy and fun, not a real decision.
After the first easy vote, guests know the routine and the serious questions get answered faster.
3 Quiz from phones
Scan to join, then every question on the big screen gets answered from the phone, with scores at the end of the round.
How to run it. Ask players to type a real name or a team name. "Phone 7" makes a dull podium.
It replaces pens, answer sheets and the marking break in one go.
4 Room-wide 3D games
Drift Arena puts up to twelve phone-steered cars on the big screen; Horse Race and Decorate the Tree take the whole room at once.
How to run it. Leave the code up until the joined players stop growing, then start.
It's the point where a crowd stops watching the screen and starts playing on it.
5 Guest-language screens
Each guest who scans sees the phone interface in their own phone's language by default. The host can switch this off.
How to run it. At a bilingual wedding, say the joining instructions in both languages once. The phones handle the rest.
Nobody has to ask a neighbor what the buttons mean.
6 Photo guessing
Baby photos or old snapshots on the big screen, and guests guess on their phones whose picture it is.
How to run it. Use photos of people in the room, collected privately in advance.
A personal round gets more scans than any general-knowledge question.
7 Remote guests via video call
The host shares the stage window in a video call. The QR code is on the shared screen, so people at home scan it from their monitor.
How to run it. Ask remote guests to make the video call full screen before scanning. Small codes in a thumbnail don't read well.
The team in another office gets the same raffle and the same votes as the room.
One scan, no app
Camera, tap, done. Guests type a name and they're playing.
On the big screen
The code is part of the stage, big enough to scan from the back tables.
Same code, many activities
Votes, quizzes, games and raffles all go through the phone browser.
Works for remote guests
Show the stage in a video call and people at home scan the same code.
How big should the code be
Phones read a QR code comfortably from a distance of roughly ten times the code's width, depending on the camera and the light. So a code 30 centimeters wide on a projector screen can be scanned from around three meters, and one filling a third of a large screen reaches much further. In a long hall, make the code big, or ask the back tables to walk up during the first scan.
Contrast matters more than size. A dark code on a white background, in the middle of the screen, away from the bright hotspot of the projector bulb, scans first time.
Lighting and projectors
A projector in a dim room gives a slightly washed-out image, and a stage wash light across the screen can bleach the code entirely. Before guests arrive, scan the code from the furthest table with the event lighting on, not the cleaning lights. If it fails, ask the lighting person to keep the screen out of the stage wash.
The internet part
Scanning takes guests to a web page, which means their phones need a working connection. At most city venues mobile data covers it; in basements, old stone buildings and rural venues it often doesn't. Get the venue's guest Wi-Fi name and password and show them on screen next to the code.
Watch out for networks that ask people to sign in on a web page before they can browse. Guests often close that page by mistake, then the event page won't load. If the venue can switch the sign-in off for your event, ask them to.
"It says no connection."
"Try turning the Wi-Fi off and use your data."
Privacy and trust
People are right to be a little careful about scanning codes. Tell them what they're joining ("this is tonight's raffle") and don't ask for anything beyond a first name or a team name. There's no account to create and nothing to install, which makes it an easier ask.
How long to leave the code up
Longer than you think. The first scan of the evening takes a minute or two for a full room. Later scans are faster because people know the routine. Keep chatting while the code is up, it fills the gap.
To test your screen and codes before the event, use the free 3-day demo, no card required. The full version is a one-time license, no subscription; see pultevent.ru/en for pricing.
About the author
PULTEVENT was built by Ruslan Barashkin, who has hosted weddings, birthdays and office parties since 2014: over 500 events, best host of Moscow 2024 and of Saint Petersburg 2023 at the TOP 100 Awards. He made it for his own nights first. The rest is at pultevent.ru/en.
How to use a QR code for audience engagement at an event
- 1
Pick the activities: a raffle, a vote, a quiz or a game.
- 2
Check Wi-Fi and mobile signal at the venue, and get the guest network details.
- 3
Connect the laptop to the projector or TV and open the stage window.
- 4
Show the QR code large and centered, and test a scan from the back of the room with event lighting.
- 5
Invite guests to scan with the phone camera, tap the link and type a name.
- 6
Start the activity once most of the room has joined, and reuse the same routine all evening.
FAQ
Do guests need a QR scanner app?
Do phones need internet after scanning?
Can people scan from the back of a big hall?
Do guests have to register?
Will older phones scan it?
Does it work in a video call?
Is there a trial?
See also
Run brighter events — with PULTEVENT
All audience interactions, a second screen and timing in one app. Guests join by QR — internet is needed for you and for them.
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