How gamification is changing my trade fair visit
Hidden QR codes, experience points, and virtual rewards make me explore a gaming convention differently. But do I actually get more out of the event because of it? At Polaris, I put it to the test and also encounter the limits of gamification.
A QR code is stuck to the floor, right in the middle of an open scaffolding column at the entrance to an exhibition booth. Anyone walking past it casually would likely overlook it. I am happy about the find, pull out my smartphone, and scan the code. A few more experience points.
Actually, I am at Polaris to see games, shows, and presentations. But in the meantime, I am also keeping an eye out for small square stickers. I take different paths, look at the exhibition booths more closely, and search even in unusual places. The scavenger hunt has hooked me.
An exclusive premiere as a lure
The reason I am participating in the QR code hunt at all is initially due to the anime series «Cyberpunk: Edgerunners». The premiere of the first episode of the second season is being shown at Polaris. Anyone who wants to attend needs, in addition to proof of age, a special wristband that can be unlocked via the trade fair app and picked up at the info point.
The first reward level was enough for that. However, the spots were limited. I am about a minute too late and come away empty-handed. Damn. My colleagues Debbie and Michelle, with whom I wanted to attend the premiere, are even later. They don't get a wristband either.
Nevertheless, I continue. Because the search for the QR codes has meanwhile developed its own appeal.
How the QR code hunt works
The so-called Sticker Hunt is part of the official Polaris app. In total, the organizers hide 150 QR codes on the exhibition grounds, which visitors can scan with the app. They receive experience points, or XP for short, for doing so. With enough points, they level up and unlock rewards.
These include, for example, new design options for the personal avatar in the app. A leaderboard also shows who has collected a particularly large number of points. Scanning friend codes of other visitors also brings XP.
In addition to smaller rewards, Polaris 2026 entices visitors with a raffle. Prizes include a gaming PC worth over 4,300 euros, two Nintendo Switch 2 consoles, and gaming accessories from Logitech. Unlike in previous years, the main prizes are no longer reserved for the top ten. Instead, visitors can unlock up to three tickets and participate in daily draws. With this, Polaris wants to give guests who are only there for one day a chance to win.
Suddenly I look more closely
The Sticker Hunt actually changes how I move across the exhibition grounds. I stop more often and look at my surroundings more closely. After all, the next QR code could be hiding somewhere.
While I don't necessarily discover new exhibitors because of it, I do perceive individual booths more consciously. The scavenger hunt complements my visit to the fair instead of completely determining it.
This is exactly where gamification comes in. It involves transferring typical elements from video games to activities that are not actually games. These include experience points, leaderboards, or unlockable rewards. Which elements motivate depends also on which needs they address. A 2017 study examined how different combinations of game elements influence motivation. Leaderboards, badges, and progress bars strengthened the participants' sense of their own competence. Avatars, a backstory, and virtual team members, on the other hand, promoted a sense of social belonging.
For me, the motivation changed after a short time. Initially, the prospect of the anime premiere lured me, but now the search itself is fun. The original external incentive has moved into the background.
Other visitors are apparently more ambitious. Real queues form at some QR codes. A situation at the Main Stage is particularly impressive: after a show, it is announced that a code is located there. Numerous visitors then stream to the front.
Collecting friend codes also seems to be popular. I observe visitors who specifically approach others to receive additional experience points. This possibility does not appeal to me at all. Even with my companions Debbie and Michelle, I have not linked up via the app to this day.
That more than a short exchange of points can come from this is shown by an example from the organizers: one of their particularly active player groups met in the first year via the app and has been visiting Polaris together every year since.
Source: Hamburg Messe und Congress / René Zieger (PC26_RZ_Datum_1234)
More fun, more interest?
With the Sticker Hunt, Polaris says it wants to get its visitors to explore the entire exhibition grounds and get in touch with each other. The QR code hunt is also intended to lead visitors into themed worlds that they might otherwise have skipped. Strategically placed QR codes are also intended to bring smaller and less centrally located booths more into focus. According to the organizers, they should receive as much attention as more prominently located exhibitors.
However, more fun does not necessarily mean that visitors also take more away from an exhibition. Another study from 2025 examined 767 visitors to an interactive exhibition on the energy transition in Germany. Participants in the integrated game rated the exhibition experience more positively. However, the researchers did not find a statistically provable direct additional effect on knowledge and attitudes toward the energy transition. However, the more positive experience was related to the fact that the players rated their knowledge about the energy transition higher after the visit.
Whether the Sticker Hunt at Polaris actually brings smaller exhibitors more into focus remains open. For me, the search did lead to me looking more closely. But I didn't necessarily discover new exhibitors because of it. How much other visitors benefit from the QR code hunt and whether smaller booths actually get more attention cannot be deduced from my experience.
The first weaknesses appear
As much fun as the search is for me, I am just as uninterested in some of the rewards. In the course of my visit, I unlock new design options for my avatar. However, the virtual outfits leave me cold.
Two additional rewards also do not convince me. I would still like to redeem one of them, a kind of 3D print. But the redirection to the corresponding page does not work properly. The redemption fails.
I find the raffle with its high-quality prizes more attractive. During the QR code hunt, however, I hardly think about the raffle. Apparently, I don't need a big reward as long as the search itself gives me joy.
I find the technical difficulties more problematic. Even before visiting the fair, the Polaris app repeatedly kicks me out of the application. Only a reinstallation helps. I also find the user interface confusing.
Three QR codes end my scavenger hunt
At first, scanning works largely without problems. Then I come across a QR code that the app simply does not recognize. I hold my smartphone closer, change the distance, and try using the zoom. Nothing happens.
My attempts also fail with another QR code. My patience is waning. With the third problem code, it is finally used up. I try again and again, but the app simply does not recognize the code. With other visitors, however, scanning seems to work without problems. Only occasionally do I hear of similar difficulties.
This is particularly frustrating because I have already solved the actual task. I found the hidden code, but I don't get any experience points for it. Of all things, the immediate confirmation of my success, which is supposed to motivate me to keep searching, is missing.
Upon inquiry, Polaris confirms that there are occasional technical problems with the Sticker Hunt. Poor internet connections or accidentally deactivated QR codes are often the cause. However, the team quickly reactivated the affected codes. Whether my difficulties were related to this, I cannot judge. It is noticeable, however, that other visitors were apparently able to scan the same codes almost simultaneously without any problems, while the app did not recognize them for me.
Finally, I have had enough and end the scavenger hunt.
I still like the idea behind the Sticker Hunt. It made me explore the fair more consciously. But it would be nicer if it also worked reliably at all times.
My interests are varied, I just like to enjoy life. Always on the lookout for news about darts, gaming, films and series.
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