Imagine you've just met a potential business contact at a trade fair. The conversation has gone well, but the next session is about to start and your new contact is heading back to their stand. Before you part, you need a way to reconnect.

In China, that exchange usually happens on WeChat. It's where your business relationships begin.

Your QR Code is Your Business Card

Your personal QR code does the work a printed card used to do, and it never runs out halfway through an event.

To find your own code, tap Me > Profile, then the QR code icon next to your name. It's also available via + > Scan > My QR Code or + > Add Contacts > QR Code. On many phones, a long-press on the WeChat icon opens My QR Code directly, without opening the app first.

There, you can adjust how it looks and save it to your photo album, ready to send in a message, share with a group, or print for a stand or poster.

Multiple Ways to Connect

Not every new contact starts face to face. Sometimes the details arrive by email, through a colleague or in a group chat. Tap + > Add Contacts to review all the options available:

Scan: add the person in front of you.
Search by WeChat ID or Mobile Number: use the details someone has sent to you.
Mobile Contact: see which of your saved numbers are already on WeChat.

The options don't end there. In a shared event group, you can tap a participant's profile to send a request. Or, if a colleague forwards you a contact card, you can add the person straight from there.

Tips for Networking Within WeChat

It’s always worth adding a short note to a friend request, and you can attach an image too. Keep it within the character limit and include who you are and where you met. Once they accept, send a brief message while the conversation is fresh, perhaps with any follow-up details you discussed earlier.

It's easy to forget little details after a quick chat. So when you send the request or after you connect, it helps to fill in a few fields: an Alias with their name or company, Tags to group contacts by event or follow-up priority, and a Remark or photo with anything you want to remember. That way, your contact list will still make sense weeks later.

Check your own settings too. By default, a friend request is required before someone can add you. After a large event, you may want to review how people can find you. Go to Me > Settings > General > Friends' Permissions to choose which methods others can use to connect.

Kickstart Your Conversations

Scanning a code takes a second. The work that makes it count is just as quick — a note that says who you are and an alias or a tag you will recognize next month.

From there, WeChat is where the business conversation continues and where a partnership can begin.

Meet, Connect, Follow Up: Adding Contacts on WeChat