SITS 2025 Marketing results using QR codes
Marketing at the SITS 2025 show with lead generation
We exhibited at the Service Desk and IT Support show at the Excel in London in May 2025, and thought we’d share some of our marketing stats.
How successful was it for us? How did we market ourselves, and what was the cost of acquiring each customer?
Our stats at the show’s end are below, and experience tells us these shows will lift our business over the next three months.
We were here if you want to read more about the show. We are booked for 2026 already – https://www.servicedeskshow.com/
Why did we use QR codes for lead generation?
With any marketing campaign, we must be able to measure the results, and that is no different with an in-person event like an Expo.
QR codes are the simplest offline method of measuring a lead’s origin.
We had four different QR codes on our stand pointing to the same online form where attendees could sign up to win 1 of 3 iPads. We have since measured those signups and know which method works best.
Other lead generation methods we have previously used
When we exhibited at the Cloud Expo Europe in 2020 (also at the Excel), we tried a different lead magnet with a £2,000 prize if anyone could answer this puzzle.
BTW, no one knew the answer, so we didn’t capture anyone’s details. This show happened a few weeks before COVID landed, so footfall was near zero.
The competition is no longer running, but feel free to have a go!
Why didn't we use a handheld scanner?
We have never been a fan of these because scans don’t show intent on the part of the person being scanned, and it is better to capture details when given freely.
Too many leads without the correct intent will cost us a lot of time and expense when we collate them after a show ends.
Where did we place our QR codes, and how successful were they?
We had four QR codes on our stand, on freebies, and in the pamphlet.
Popup display
OK, we knew this would never work well as a lead magnet because the QR code was too low, and there was no reason for someone to scan it.
QR code on the wall
We often put marketing material on the walls close to the edge of the stand.
Visitors can pick them up if we are busy talking with other people.
They are also handy for attendees who don’t want to get too close to a stand in case they get sucked in!
Pamphlet
This solid marketing method works when your business isn’t a well-known brand like Google or Microsoft.
We know from experience that these are read on the journey home and passed around the office.
The warm leads we have from the show came from people contacting us from the website and not from the QR codes. They said they saw us at the show, so it is likely that most came from this humble method.
Chocolate
It’s no surprise that this was our biggest lead magnet. Its QR code on the back is a great conversation starter.
How many did we give out? We took 3000 with us, and none came back to Corsham.
QR code scan Results
Why were there fewer scans than entries?
The WiFi in the building was poor, so many scans didn’t load.
Maybe some people decided not to fill in the form when it loaded. This could be because they knew they would have to enter their email or didn’t click on the double opt-in email we sent them.
Leads generated from the QR codes
If we remove the leads we know won’t convert, we are left with 15 usable leads.
Results - CAC here Vs Google Ads
Considering it cost us £7.500 to attend, that equates to approx. £500 per lead for each lead from the QR codes.
Since visiting the show, we have had 13 more leads contact us, but the QR code didn’t capture them. Our best guess is that they read the pamphlet and then decided to contact us.
CAC
We can guestimate 30-40 leads over the next 3 months, and half will convert. This equates to 18 new customers, so that CAC will be £420. Google Ads is approximately double that cost.
Conclusion
Fun fact: The new Resellers who signed up during the show and in the six days since, cited the show as the reason they signed up, but we never captured their details during the show.
To be honest with ourselves, this means potential customers perused our content by connecting directly with the URL, not the free chocolate or our scintillating conversation!!
Experience tells us that many potential customers are either in annual contracts or don’t want to move. This gives us some marketing juice that compounds with more shows over the next two years.
QR codes worked well for us when put on chocolate.