Using QR Codes at Your Food and Wine Festival

Few things in life can beat a good meal, a nice glass of wine, and some live music. Pair this with good company, and you’ve got a recipe for a phenomenal afternoon or evening. 

Hence, the popularity of a food and wine festival.

If you’re planning your next event, the one piece of technology you’ll want to take advantage of is QR codes. These quick response (QR) codes are a readable, two-dimensional, matrix barcode that can be scanned with a smartphone to direct guests to any type of data. In this case, think wine information, menus, online ordering—ahem, no waiting in lines—and more.

Today, we’ll explain how you can leverage this technology to create a one-of-a-kind festival experience.

QR Code Use Cases at a Food and Wine Festival

From ordering your next Cabernet Sauvignon to waltzing in and out of the event with ease—QR codes are festival life-savers. Consider using them in these five areas.

1. Contactless Ordering

High-quality wine? Delectable bites? Who wouldn’t want to attend a food and wine festival? While there are already many draws inherent in a festival of this nature, there’s one dreaded con everyone expects—long lines. And when attendees have to waste time in lines, they’re less likely to try multiple food and wine options. 

That’s where streamlining the process via QR-code contactless ordering comes in.

By giving each vendor a unique QR code to display above their booth, attendees could then scan it to access a digital menu. Once they’re in, they could: 

• Peruse their various options
• Place an order
• Pay for their food or wine 
• Split a bill

This not only could help eliminate lines, it can also streamline ordering for the vendors. Instead of having to service orders and take payments, they can instead focus solely on fulfilling orders or answering specific questions.

2. Festival Information

Do you have a music lineup or multiple stages running simultaneously? Is the venue spread out over a large area? 

If so, you could use a QR code that attendees scan to find out more information about the festival itself. It could contain a map with the locations and descriptions of all the vendors. It could provide details about the set list, the times of each show, or even give information on each artist’s background.

Similarly, strategically placing QR codes near entrances for everyone to see could help visitors in a variety of ways, whether it’s with wayfinding or vendor descriptions.

3. Festival Signup and Promotion

Your vendors and partners will play a significant role in promoting the festival. And you’ll draw a much larger audience if you leverage their existing networks. 

One of the ways you could assist them with their outreach efforts is by providing QR codes that guests could scan to learn more about the event and also sign up. The QR code could be in both a physical, printed form that they can keep in their tasting rooms or restaurants, and a digital one that they share on social media.

4. Evites

After an attendee has paid and signed up online, you could send them an e-vite QR code that contains:

• A Google map location of the event
• A calendar event date that automatically stores on their phone
• Tickets that they can store in their phone’s wallet 

Providing digital tickets could also help streamline getting into the festival. Additionally, this would create a paperless ticketing experience, which is more eco-friendly.

5. Interactive Experience

In the past, music and arts festivals like Coachella have hid QR codes in various spots across the venue in order to create a digital scavenger hunt. Once scanned, festival goers can complete challenges or earn rewards, which makes the entire experience more interactive and memorable. 

Looking for some fun ideas?

• Try Them All Checkbox – If guests are able to try every wine and food vendor at least once, they can earn a small prize, or be automatically entered into an even larger one. This can be tracked through the QR code scanning.
• The Wine Connoisseur – Through a QR code, guests are invited to rank order the wines they’ve tried from favorite to least favorite. Once submitted, they receive a small sample from their favorite vendor.

GoTab—Leveraging QR Codes to Make Your Festival Standout

There are dozens of potential use-cases for QR codes at a food and wine festival. But few have the potential impact of GoTab’s contactless ordering. 

This innovative system not only eliminates major lines, it also helps the vendors get their orders out more quickly and efficiently. It’s a win-win for both parties, and a small convenience that attendees will notice and appreciate. 

But how does this system work? Schedule your free demo now! 

Sources:

• Kaspersky. QR Code Security:  What are QR codes and are they safe to use?
• https://usa.kaspersky.com/resource-center/definitions/what-is-a-qr-code-how-to-scan
• The Press-Enterprise. Coachella joins the world of interactive smartphone games with Coachella Coin. https://www.pe.com/2019/04/12/coachella-joins-the-world-of-interactive-smart-phone-games-with-coachella-coin/