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Gravatar for live events

Turn Attendee Badges into Interactive Networking Tools

With Gravatar QR code badges, you can transform standard attendee badges into powerful networking tools that make sharing contact information as simple as a quick scan.

What Is the Gravatar Event QR Feature?

Event badges powered by Gravatar QR codes allow event attendees to share their profile information instantly. When scanned, these codes open the attendee’s Gravatar profile, giving instant access to their contact details, social links, and professional information. With just one tab, the contact information can be added to the contacts app of your phone.

More than a Business Card

For event organizers and marketers, this feature opens up exciting possibilities for attendee engagement, data collection, and streamlined networking. You can scan them for workshop sign-ups, raffles, location check-ins, lead generation, and more.

-> Your badge becomes your event passport.

How It Works

  1. Generate QR codes based on attendees’ email addresses (instructions below)
  2. Print them on attendee badges before your event
  3. Attendees scan each other’s badges with any standard QR scanner

-> For attendees who already have a Gravatar profile, scanning the QR code immediately opens their profile.

-> For those without one, the QR code directs them to a “Claim your Profile” page where they can quickly set up their information. Once claimed, the same QR code will point to their new profile.

Implementation: It’s Easier Than You Think

Option 1: Using the Gravatar API (Recommended)

  1. Create an API key to increase your rate limits here
  2. Generate QR codes using the endpoint (replacing THE_EMAIL_SHA_256_HASH):
https://api.gravatar.com/v3/qr-code/THE_EMAIL_SHA_256_HASH?version=3&utm_campaign=YOUR_EVENT_NAME&type=gravatar

For an example sending an API key with curl (THE_API_KEY):

curl -s -D - -o badge-qr.png 
"https://api.gravatar.com/v3/qr-code/e3b86ecb415a0884891195ff8d9f4d5eff778f22fefa9263f52f4467438197be?version=3&utm_campaign=my-event&type=gravatar" \
-H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY'

Here the utm_campaign is set to my-event, but you can set it to whatever you would like.

The generated QR code will point to a URL like:

https://gravatar.com/e3b86ecb415a0884891195ff8d9f4d5eff778f22fefa9263f52f4467438197be?utm_source=qr&utm_campaign=my-event

Option 2: Generate Your Own QR Codes

If you prefer using your own QR generation tools or your badge software handles this, simply create QR codes that point to:

https://gravatar.com/{sha256-of-lower-case-email}?utm_campaign=YOUR_EVENT_NAME

This URL will either forward to the Gravatar profile or display the claim profile page, depending on whether the user has a Gravatar account.

Requirements

  • The URL must contain the SHA256 hash of the lowercase email
  • Include a utm_campaign query parameter

Bonus: Track Adoption Rates

The API response includes a header (x-gravatar-profile-status) that helps you track what percentage of registrants have Gravatar accounts:

  • not-found: No profile found for this email
  • enabled: Active profile exists
  • disabled: Profile exists but is currently disabled

The type, version, and size parameters from the main QR endpoint are also available.

Real-World Example: WordCamp Asia 2025

At WordCamp Asia 2025, Gravatar QR codes were implemented across all attendee badges with impressive results. We spoke to dozens of attendees, volunteers, and organizers, and once we demoed the benefits, they were excited to update their profiles and start scanning QRs.

Many attendees were surprised to discover that Gravatar isn’t just for avatars but offers a complete networking solution. The QR codes facilitated thousands of new connections.

Practical Tips for Event Organizers

Pre-Event Marketing

For maximum engagement:

  • Send multiple pre-event emails explaining the QR feature
  • Ensure staff members introduce this feature at registration
  • Display clear signage explaining QR scanning throughout the venue

Engage Sponsors

Encourage sponsors to use QR codes for:

  • Raffles and giveaways
  • Lead capture
  • Event-specific follow-ups
  • Workshop registration

Consider making QR code interaction part of your sponsorship packages to drive active usage.

Get Started Today

Implementing Gravatar QR codes for your next event takes just minutes but delivers a significant upgrade to attendee networking experiences. With a few simple API calls, you can transform static badges into dynamic networking tools that continue providing value long after your event ends.

For more information and API documentation around QR codes, visit: Gravatar QR Code Documentation

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