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Capturing leads at a pavilion: QR codes, WhatsApp, WeChat and KakaoTalk
The best channel for capturing leads at a pavilion is the one your visitor already uses. A QR code that opens a short page with a form and a choice of chat apps works for everyone; add WeChat for visitors from China and KakaoTalk for visitors from Korea, and name the person who answers each one.
Written by SavamosPublished Updated
Facts checked on November 11, 2026
Why does the right channel depend on the visitor's country?
Because messaging habits are national, and a lead only counts if the visitor can reach you with an app they have on their phone. Expo 2027 Belgrade brings international participants from several continents; the organisers' participants page names China, South Korea, Japan, Türkiye and several European countries among them. A visitor from Seoul and a visitor from Vienna will scan the same QR code on your stand and expect different things to happen next. A channel that is normal for one may be unknown to the other, or may not open at all.
The numbers that are published make the point. Tencent reports (opens in a new tab) 1,439 million monthly active users for Weixin and WeChat combined as of 30 June 2026. In Korea, the app tracker Wiseapp Retail counted (opens in a new tab) 48.19 million monthly users of KakaoTalk in August 2025, the most of any social platform in the country. WhatsApp is widely used in many other markets, but it may not open for visitors from mainland China. Nobody publishes how Expo visitors split by country, so plan for the markets you want to meet rather than guess the crowd.
Should a QR code open a page or a chat?
For most stands, a page. A QR code that opens a short landing page lets the visitor choose: fill a three-field form, start a WhatsApp chat, add you on WeChat or KakaoTalk, or write an email. It also gives you one address to track, one place to change details during the event, and a fallback when an app is not installed. The page needs to load fast on mobile data and show the options on the first screen; our event landing page checklist covers that.
A direct chat QR makes sense when your audience is mostly from one market and your team lives in that app. WhatsApp's QR codes and short links (opens in a new tab) open a chat with your business and can carry a prefilled message, so the first line reads something like "Hello, we met at your Expo stand". WeChat users add contacts by scanning a QR code, and a Kakao Talk Channel (opens in a new tab), which Kakao calls "the business home of Kakao Talk", can be added as a friend. If you print a direct chat code, print the page code next to it for everyone else.
How do the channels compare?
| Channel | Suits visitors who | How the QR code works | Set up before opening | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Form on a landing page | Come from any country | Opens the page; the form is on the first screen | Short form, a named person who receives it, a thank-you message | Long forms; inboxes nobody reads during the event |
| Use WhatsApp at home, which is common in many markets | Opens a chat with your business number, optionally with a prefilled message | WhatsApp Business app or platform, business profile, greeting and away messages | May not open for visitors from mainland China; one phone shared by several people | |
| Come from China, or work with Chinese partners | The visitor scans your WeChat QR code to add you as a contact | A WeChat account the team checks daily; an Official Account if you want a business presence | Business account rules for foreign companies differ; check WeChat's own pages early | |
| KakaoTalk | Come from South Korea | Adds your Kakao Talk Channel as a friend, or opens a chat with it | A Kakao Talk Channel with your business details | Visitors from other countries may not have the app |
| Prefer a formal first contact, or need to forward it internally | Opens the visitor's email app with your address filled in | A shared inbox, an auto-reply that says when you will answer | Slow replies; messages filtered as spam |
What should you prepare before opening day?
The channel is the easy part. Leads are lost in the gaps around it: no profile, no greeting, nobody on duty. Two weeks before opening, which is 1 May 2027 in our digital marketing timeline, every item below should be done and tested on real phones by the people who will use them.
Business profiles complete on every channel you offer: company name, logo, a one-line description, website and your location at the Expo.
A greeting message on each chat channel that thanks the visitor, says who will answer and asks one question, such as what they are looking for.
An away message for the hours the stand is closed, saying when you will reply.
A named person for each channel and each day, with a back-up for days off. Shared phones need a written rota.
Reply templates in the languages you offer, written and checked before opening.
One place where every lead ends up (a spreadsheet or a CRM), whatever channel it arrived on.
A follow-up message to send within a day, and a last one after the Expo closes on 15 August 2027.
Offer only the channels you can answer. A WeChat code with nobody checking WeChat is worse than no code, because the visitor thinks they reached you.
How does this site handle it?
We set up our own contact forms on the same principle. The forms on this site do not send anything to a server: they write the message and let the visitor send it on WhatsApp or by email, or copy it. On our Chinese pages, WeChat comes first with its ID and QR code, then email, with WhatsApp last; on our Korean pages, KakaoTalk comes first, with its ID and QR code. It is a small example of the channel following the reader's language.
How can Savamos help?
We build the page your stand QR code opens, set up the form and the chat links for the channels you choose, and test the whole path on real phones before opening day. Our landing page service covers the work, and our Expo 2027 page shows how it fits the rest. Tell us which markets you want to meet on the quote page.
What else do companies ask?
Should an Expo stand QR code open WhatsApp directly?
Only if most of the visitors you want use WhatsApp and your team answers there. Otherwise point the QR code at a short page that offers a form and several chat apps, so nobody is stuck without the right app.
Does WhatsApp work for visitors from China?
It may not open for visitors from mainland China. Offer WeChat and email as well, and do not make WhatsApp the only way to reach you on material aimed at Chinese visitors.
How do Korean visitors usually contact a business?
KakaoTalk was the most widely used social media platform in Korea in August 2025, with 48.19 million monthly users, according to Wiseapp Retail data reported by Yonhap. A Kakao Talk Channel gives a business its own presence that visitors can add as a friend.
What should a greeting message on a business chat say?
Thank the visitor for stopping by, say who will answer and when, and ask one question about what they need. Keep it short and write it in each language you offer.
Sources
Each source was opened and checked on November 11, 2026.
