When the lights go down and the booth is packed up, how do you know if your event was actually a success? That’s the question more marketers are asking—especially as expectations grow, budgets tighten, and the attendee experience takes center stage.
The truth is brand engagement doesn’t start when the event does, and it definitely doesn’t end when people walk out the door. To measure engagement effectively, you need a way to track interest and interaction before, during, and after the event.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to use QR Codes, short links, and Bitly Analytics to measure what matters, so you can improve your return on investment (ROI) and create stronger engagement every time.
Note: The brands and examples discussed below were found during our online research for this article.
Why tracking event engagement matters more than ever
Event marketing has changed—and so have expectations. With shrinking marketing budgets and growing demand for measurable ROI from sponsorships and brand activations, marketers can’t afford to guess what’s working. They need proof.
Today’s events aren’t just in-person or virtual: they’re often both. Hybrid events have become the norm, and 89% of event marketers say they’re valuable for their organizations. But making either format count means measuring more than just attendance numbers or form fills.
Standard methods often miss the mark, especially if you’re only looking at “hard” metrics and ignoring early and post-event signals tied to your event goals. Engagement tracking is what helps capture the complete journey and uncover the real impact of your event.
Soft metrics are hard to quantify—unless you track them strategically
It’s easy to default to “hard” metrics (concrete, quantitative data points like lead form completions or demo sign-ups) when evaluating the success of your event. They’re clear, measurable, and easy to report on.
But “soft” ones (qualitative data points like brand awareness, perception, and engagement)are just as essential. They tell you whether your event made a lasting impression or built interest in your brand.
According to Morganna Nickoff, Senior Brand Manager at Bitly, these are often the hardest success metrics to measure. “Teams need a better way to answer: ‘Did someone walk away from our booth or presentation knowing our brand exists—or liking us more?’”
To make these moments measurable, marketers need smart tools. QR Codes and short links turn once-invisible signals into tangible metrics—like total scans, clicks, or repeat visits, helping you understand how your target audience is engaging with your brand throughout the event experience.
QR Codes and short links bridge digital and physical gaps
Without the right tools, it’s nearly impossible to know who interacted with your booth or sat in on your presentation, especially if they didn’t fill out a form. But when you add trackable digital touchpoints like QR Codes and short links to signage, digital displays, and handouts, every action becomes measurable.
With Bitly Codes and Bitly Links, you can drive attendees to custom landing pages, surveys, or digital resources—and track every scan or click. These tools help you capture engagement with in-person touchpoints that would otherwise go unmeasured, giving you a more complete picture of how people are interacting with your brand on-site.
Pre-event tactics for building measurable engagement
Strategic event management and tracking before an event lays the groundwork for post-event success. By aligning your efforts with current customer engagement trends, building anticipation, and creating trackable touchpoints, you set the stage for stronger attendee engagement and more valuable insights later.
Use branded links for outreach and promotion
Short links are perfect for pre-event channels like email, SMS campaigns, and social media. They take up minimal space, look clear and professional, and, when branded, help build trust with your audience, boosting click-through rates and encouraging social media engagement.
Branded short links also give you a measurable edge. Because they’re trackable, you can gather insights into which platforms, calls-to-action (CTAs), and messages drive the most clicks.
This lets you refine your approach even before your event begins and sets the foundation for a more targeted post-event engagement strategy. Just create unique links for each campaign element, then monitor performance to see what’s working.
Create QR Codes to incentivize early registrations
Discount codes and giveaways are a proven way to drive event sign-ups, but how you deliver them matters just as much. Instead of promoting offers outright, link incentives to Bitly Codes and then place your codes across different print mediums, like flyers, store windows, and mailers.
Be sure to include clear CTAs so people know exactly what they’ll get when they scan. For example:
- “Scan for 10% off your ticket”
- “Get your free swag bag!”
- “Unlock early access”
- “Enter to win VIP perks”
This approach builds excitement and makes it easy to measure which code placements drive the most event registrations. Over time, you’ll gain insights that fuel smarter campaign optimization for future events.
Personalize content to improve relevance
Personalization isn’t just a nice touch—it’s what audiences expect. In fact, 81% of customers prefer companies that tailor experiences to their needs. Segment your target audience by key demographics like interests, location, or job title, and deliver content that speaks directly to their needs and preferences.
If you’re hosting a professional event, you might share industry-specific content with attendees based on their roles or seniority. If it’s a consumer-focused experience, you could tailor messaging around lifestyle preferences or purchase history.
For added value, pair this personalized content with Bitly Links so you can track which segments actually click through. These insights help refine your targeting and improve campaign performance over time.
Real-time strategies for engaging during the event
Whether you’re running a virtual event, an in-person gathering, or a hybrid experience, things move fast—and so should your engagement strategy. The most effective event planners don’t just wait to measure success afterward. They track interest as it happens, using digital touchpoints like QR Codes, short links, and landing pages to capture audience behavior in real time.
This approach not only gives you a pulse on what’s resonating in the moment but also lets you adapt on the fly and gather insights you can use to optimize future events. Here are some smart ways to put it into action.
Display QR Codes for content, sign-ups, or offers
QR Codes are a powerful way to track interest and deliver value in real time. Use them throughout your event to direct attendees to URLs featuring product demos, sign-up forms, special offers, live polling, or supporting content—no printed materials or constant staff assistance required.
One especially impactful strategy? Displaying a QR Code during a live presentation. Whether it links to slides, a product page, or a demo sign-up, it gives attendees an easy way to engage with your brand while the topic is still top of mind.
As Nickoff explains, “You usually don’t capture everyone who attended a session, but if someone scanned your QR Code while your exec was on stage, that’s a huge engagement signal.”
This kind of moment-specific data can tell you which topics or presenters resonate and help you shape future presentations and follow-ups based on real attendee behavior.
Use Bitly Pages to deliver contextual experiences
Not every attendee is looking for the same thing, which is why delivering relevant, timely content is key to stronger engagement rates. Bitly Pages makes it easy to do just that.
These no-code, mobile-optimized landing pages can be tailored to different audience interests, whether that’s downloading presentation slides, exploring product comparisons, or signing up for your newsletter. You can even add lead generation fields directly on the page to capture new contacts on the spot.
To drive traffic, link your Bitly Pages to QR Codes and place them on event materials like booth signage, swag, or slide decks. Add clear CTAs like:
- “Scan to download slides”
- “Access exclusive event content!”
- “Scan to book a demo”
Plus, with real-time analytics like total page views, views by referrer, location (city/country), and device, you’ll know which experiences are resonating and which materials are driving the most engagement.
Track what’s working and adjust on the fly
Don’t wait until the event wraps to adjust your strategy. The most successful event organizers stay agile, making small, real-time shifts that can lead to better results. Whether it’s changing a QR Code placement or refining messaging, small tweaks mid-event can have a big impact on engagement and conversion rates.
Bitly Analytics provides real-time performance insights, showing you which QR Codes, short links, and landing pages are getting traction. If one booth activation is underperforming, you can shift your strategy, test a new CTA, or try a different placement without waiting for post-event reports.
Post-event engagement that extends impact
Event engagement shouldn’t end when attendees head home. To get the most out of your efforts, you need a plan for continuing the conversation and nurturing interest after the event wraps. Here are some tactics to keep the fire burning:
Share digital takeaways and follow-up materials
Stay top of mind by sending timely follow-ups. Great options include presentation recaps, discount codes, product one-pagers, or “thank you for attending” emails.
Pair each asset with a trackable Bitly Link, Code, or Page to see who’s still engaging. For example, you could add a downloadable one-pager to a Bitly Page and share it via a Bitly Code so every scan gives you insight into what’s sticking post-event.
Survey your audience to gauge sentiment and impact
Surveys are one of the best ways to capture direct feedback and measure attendee satisfaction, but the real insights often come from tracking what happens before they hit “submit.”
Use Bitly Links to share your post-event survey, then compare click-to-completion ratios to get a sense of overall engagement. Bitly Analytics will show you how many people clicked, and Google Analytics (with a confirmation page set up) will show how many completed it. If your click and completion numbers don’t match, that might be your cue to rethink the format, messaging, or follow-up strategy.
Want even more insight? Add urchin tracking module (UTM) parameters to your Bitly Links to see which platforms or sources are driving the most responses so you can focus future efforts where they’ll matter most.
Monitor traffic to see if interest continues
Re-engagement is one of the clearest signs of ongoing interest. Watch for post-event behaviors like re-scanning QR Codes, revisiting links, or continuing to use your event hashtag. These patterns can reveal high-value audiences who are still exploring event content or sharing it with others.
This kind of insight is invaluable for planning follow-ups and refining your broader engagement marketing strategy. For instance, if you notice that mid-level managers are returning more than other segments, you can tailor your next outreach specifically to them.
The Bitly Dashboard makes this trend easy to spot with performance data over time across all your Bitly Links, QR Codes, and Pages, so you can track re-engagement wherever it happens.
What can you track with Bitly Analytics?
Bitly Analytics goes beyond basic reporting to deliver a wide range of engagement metrics you can count on, including:
- Link clicks by channel (email, SMS, social), location (city/country), referrer, and device
- QR Code scans by location (city/country), browser, and device
- Bitly Page views by location (city/country), device, or referrer
- Traffic spikes before, during, and after events
- Engagement trends over time, including scans, clicks, and page views
These insights help you understand what’s working and shape smarter marketing strategies for future event planning and campaigns. But Bitly also stands out for its ability to support real-time decision-making across all your digital touchpoints.
Real-time engagement tracking across channels
With Bitly, you don’t need to wait days or hours for post-event reports. Click and scan data updates live so you can monitor performance and make informed decisions while your event is underway, maximizing your ROI.
Running QR Codes to drive website traffic? If the code on your banner is getting more scans than the one on your digital screen, you can act immediately by adjusting your placements or doubling down on what’s driving the most visits.
You can also A/B test different QR Code ideas for events and conferences, from design variations to CTA language and placement. This gives you the flexibility to experiment, improve in real time, and discover what drives the most engagement from your target audience.
Cross-channel data in one spot
Bitly Analytics brings link clicks, QR Code scans, and landing page views into one streamlined area where you can create your own dashboards, so you don’t have to switch between platforms. It’s convenient, time-saving, and makes it easier to determine which digital touchpoints resonate most with your target audience.
For example, if you’re using both QR Codes and links in an email marketing campaign, you can quickly compare performance and refine your strategy.
Flexible link management to update on the go
Need to change a QR Code or short link mid-event? All Bitly Codes are Dynamic QR Codes, which means you can redirect URLs in real time without reprinting a thing (with some paid plans)—whether it’s due to an error, an outdated destination, or a last-minute content swap.
It’s a simple way to stay agile, fix mistakes fast, and adapt your strategy on the spot, while saving on printing costs.
Don’t just host: Understand your event’s impact
The best event strategies don’t just drive attention—they measure it. From the first email to the final follow-up, every scan and click tells a story.
Tracking engagement before, during, and after your event helps you understand what resonates, what needs work, and how to build stronger connections—key ingredients of any successful event. By incorporating trackable touchpoints, you can adapt in real time and optimize your event for maximum engagement.
Bitly helps you turn attention into insight. With real-time performance data on every short link, QR Code, and landing page, you’ll see exactly what’s generating interest and which channels, content, or offers are driving results. It’s everything you need to measure and improve event performance—not just in the moment but for your next event and beyond.
Get started with Bitly today to create custom QR Codes, short links, and landing pages that track your event engagement levels in real time!
