June 15, 2011
Expo 2011 is looking to help the green industry embrace the new digital marketing medium known as Quick Response, or QR.

Bringing you closer to your customers is the main motivation for Expo 2011 including its own QR code in the show’s advertising, promotion and marketing campaigns. Many companies and garden centre retailers at Expo will also introduce QR codes, either on their products, promotional flyers, or on store shelves this year.

QR codes provide an instant connection to the Internet. No need to type lengthy URL addresses. Driven by smartphone technology, users simply scan the QR code with the device’s camera. It is instantly directed to a specific web page or website. This offers a unique opportunity to engage your customers and provide them with specific information that is educational, entertaining, and most importantly, instantaneous. It also expands a company’s marketing efforts to full 24/7 customer service.  
 
qr code expoQR Code for Expo.
qr codeQR Code for Congress.
Expo’s new QR code enables the show to share updates on the changes and developments underway, as it enters a new decade at a new location, with new dates and show hours and a dynamic new look spotlighting plants and products being introduced for the spring 2012 season.

The QR code allows visitors to check in regularly to see what is lined up for them. In addition to introducing the convenience of QR codes, the show plans to educate vendors and visitors on how they may incorporate digital marketing into their own advertising, marketing, promotional and product knowledge programs.

Expo 2011 moves to the North Building, Halls H and I, at the Toronto Congress Centre, starting Wed., Oct. 19, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Thurs., Oct. 20 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is one of the first Canadian horticultural trade shows to use QR codes in its marketing.

Lorraine Ivanoff, show manager, says, “We are excited to introduce this smart technology to exhibitors. Not only will we provide information about our show, we will demonstrate how to integrate this technology into marketing strategies.”

To learn more about Landscape Ontario’s marketing efforts, scan this QR Code, or if you prefer the more traditional method visit www.loexpo.ca.