Interactive merchandise that's worth the scan after the event ends

Most event swag has a shelf life of one afternoon. A good code can stretch that a lot.

This desk covers merchandise with a link built in: conference lanyards, tote bags, hang tags, product packaging, stickers and the giveaways that end up in a drawer. Event marketers, schools, clubs and local businesses use these to carry people from a physical moment to something online, and the good ones keep paying off for months.

We look at what the scan should open at each stage. During the event, a schedule or a map. After it, the recordings, a discount or next year's dates. We also look at the less fun side: packaging codes that leak tracking data, swag that points to dead pages, and how retail teams measure scans without collecting more than they need.

Coming up: a beginner's guide to interactive merchandise, with ideas for small budgets.