If you’ve ever been to a tradeshow or conference, then you’ve probably worn that familiar lanyard around your neck — the one with a name badge and, of course, a QR Code.

Before QR Codes, it was a barcode.
And before that, it was a clipboard.

But for all the talk about modernization and technology, let’s be honest… not much has changed.

Here’s the basic setup:

You register for the show.

You get your badge.

Exhibitors pay to access the scanning system.

As you walk through the expo floor, every few minutes someone asks, “Can I scan your QR Code?”


You smile, nod, and they scan you.

And that’s it.

In theory, the exhibitor’s sales team is supposed to take notes about your interests so they can follow up later.
In reality, they almost never do.

You don’t get access to the same system, so you can’t take notes yourself.

So what’s the result?
An expensive, outdated system that benefits almost no one — except the software vendor running it.

The tradeshow gets its registration data.
The exhibitors get a spreadsheet of unqualified leads.
And the attendees — the actual customers — walk away with nothing.

The system is “industry standard.”
But “standard” doesn’t mean “effective.”


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Flipping the Model: The Dezignwall Experiment

Back in 2016, when I was running Dezignwall, we decided to ask a radical question:

> “What if we flipped it?”



What if, instead of the vendor scanning the attendee,
the attendee scanned the exhibitor?

That simple question changed everything.

Our idea was to give the attendee more power — more access, more control, and more engagement — while still providing measurable ROI for exhibitors and tradeshows.

Here’s how it worked:

Instead of scanning individual products, the attendee would scan a single QR Code at a booth.

That code would unlock the entire booth on their phone — every featured product, image, and detail.

From there, the attendee could:

❤️ Like items they were interested in

📌 Pin products to a mood board

🛒 Add items to a cart or wish list

💬 Chat with coworkers, family, or friends about what they found


They could revisit that booth later — days, weeks, or even months after the show — and continue engaging with the products.

In short, we gave the customer a digital twin of their tradeshow experience.

We called it Event Solutions.


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The Next Chapter: Scan Unlock

After Dezignwall ran out of funding, I couldn’t shake the idea.

So in 2019, I launched a new platform: Scan Unlock.

We took the same concept — empowering attendees to scan exhibitors — and built it into a full digital platform.

We tested it at multiple tradeshows and began negotiating contracts with one of the world’s largest tradeshow operators.

It worked beautifully.

The technology was seamless.
Attendees loved it.
Exhibitors saw real engagement long after the show ended.

And then, just as momentum started building, my developer got greedy.

He tried to go around me — and in the process, we lost everything.
We bankrupted the company.

But the model still worked.

And the lesson stuck with me forever:

> The future of tradeshows isn’t about scanning people.
It’s about empowering them.




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So, How Is This Customer-Centric Marketing?

Well, that depends on how you define “customer.”

In the tradeshow ecosystem, there are several layers:

For the registration software company, the customer is the tradeshow.

For the tradeshow, the customer is the exhibitor.

For the exhibitor, the customer is the attendee.


Traditional marketing solves for one group at a time — usually whoever is paying the bill.

But Customer-Centric Marketing solves for everyone.

By flipping the system, we didn’t just give attendees a better experience — we created new value for everyone involved.


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How It Works — From a Customer-Centric Lens

Let’s break it down.

When the attendee scans the exhibitor’s QR Code, they unlock an interactive experience that continues long after the tradeshow ends.

That small shift creates massive downstream benefits:

1. Attendees can revisit booths, pin products, and share finds with coworkers, friends, and family.


2. Exhibitors get long-term visibility and deeper engagement from attendees who actually liked their products — not just those who wandered by.


3. Tradeshows extend their event’s lifespan, generating ongoing visibility and digital traffic months after the physical event.



And here’s the real magic — the attendee becomes the marketer.

When they share their mood boards or product lists online, they’re not just promoting themselves…
They’re promoting the exhibitors and the show.

No one asked them to do it. They’re doing it because they want to — because it’s useful.

That’s what makes it Customer-Centric Marketing.

You don’t force engagement.
You design for it.


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The Difference Between Traditional and Customer-Centric

Traditional tradeshow marketing ends when the lights go out.
Customer-Centric Marketing begins the moment the show ends.

Think about it:

Traditional registration systems exist to collect data.
Once the event is over, that data sits in a database.

But a Customer-Centric Marketing system exists to create stories.

It gives the attendee — your end customer — a reason to engage, share, and participate long after the event is over.

And that engagement drives exponential visibility.

It’s not marketing at people.
It’s marketing through people.


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The Psychological Advantage

Here’s why this works so well:

People love sharing things that make them look smart, creative, or connected.

When you give them tools that allow them to curate and share their own discoveries, they’ll happily amplify your event, your exhibitors, and your brand — for free.

It’s not manipulation. It’s alignment.

It’s giving people something valuable enough that they want to talk about it.

That’s the true engine of Customer-Centric Marketing: when your customer’s self-interest becomes your greatest marketing strategy.


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What Happened Next

Even though Scan Unlock didn’t survive as a company, the concept has aged well — and honestly, it’s more relevant now than ever.

QR Codes are everywhere.
E-commerce and social commerce have blurred together.
People expect seamless, interactive experiences.

Yet tradeshows — some of the largest and most expensive marketing platforms on the planet — still rely on scanning badges and handing out brochures.

We’re living in a digital-first world, but the tradeshow experience is stuck in 2005.

That’s why I’m still passionate about this idea.

Because this isn’t just about event tech — it’s about rethinking the relationship between brands and attendees, products and people, discovery and sharing.

If tradeshows adopted a Customer-Centric Marketing mindset, they wouldn’t just collect data. They’d create digital ecosystems of loyal advocates.


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Here’s the Bigger Lesson

Customer-Centric Marketing doesn’t just change how you communicate.
It changes how you build products, platforms, and systems.

It asks, “How can we make this more valuable for the customer?” — and then works backward from there.

When you build a system that benefits everyone downstream — the exhibitor, the attendee, and even the community around them — you don’t need to “market” in the traditional sense.

People become your ambassadors.

Your marketing becomes exponential.

And your brand becomes an experience worth sharing.


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So, if you’re an exhibition company looking for a smarter registration solution… let’s talk.

If you’re a business tired of marketing at people and ready to start marketing through them… let’s talk.

Because the future of tradeshows — and every business — isn’t about scanning customers.

It’s about unlocking them.

📩 Reach out through my Open To Work profile.
Let’s build something your customers can’t wait to share.