GUIDE

How to Run a Fan Photo Wall on the Scoreboard

A scoreboard fan photo wall works when three things are true: the league and the venue have agreed in writing, every photo is approved by a person before it reaches the board, and it runs in the breaks, not during play. Fans scan a QR code shown on the board or the concourse screens, post a photo from their phone's browser, and an operator approves it onto the screen. Plan for a few percent of the crowd to post, not most of it. This guide covers the consent, the setup, a run of show for a basketball or hockey game, and what to switch off.

Last updated: November 2026

A scoreboard fan photo wall is a segment on a venue's video board, ribbon or concourse screens that shows photos fans post from their seats. Fans scan a QR code with their phone camera and post from the browser, with no app and no account; an operator approves each photo, and the approved ones play in the breaks in play. It is the fan-cam idea with the fans holding the camera.

What makes it work (and what stops it)

Permission comes first. The video board belongs to the venue, the game presentation often belongs to the league or the conference, and both usually have rules about what appears on screen, sponsor inventory and photos of minors. Get a written yes from both before you test anything. A school gym is simpler (the athletic director and the school's photo policy), but it still needs the yes in writing.

A person approves every photo. A video board is the most public screen there is. Run it with an approval queue so nothing appears until an operator taps approve, and add AI screening so the obvious problems never reach the queue. On QR Wall both are on Professional ($19.99/month).

Expect a few percent, not most of the crowd. At a private party, 63% of guests who open the wall post (our data across 106 events). In a stadium, fans are watching the game and most never scan. As a rule of thumb, plan for 3–6% of a crowd to post: about 150–300 photos from 5,000 fans, which is more than a board can show in one game anyway.

It belongs in the breaks. Timeouts, intermissions, halftime, pre-game and the walk-out. During play the board is for the score and the replay.

8 fan photo wall segments for a game night

Pick two or three for a game rather than all eight. Each runs in a break in play.

  1. Pre-game: show us your colours

    From doors open to warm-ups, the concourse screens run the wall in Grid with the QR code and one prompt: 'Show us your colours'. It's the quietest time to collect photos and approve them at leisure.

  2. Timeout: fan of the timeout

    In one media timeout per half or period, the board shows a single approved photo full screen with the fan's first name. One photo, held for a few seconds, reads better on a board than a grid.

  3. Intermission or halftime loop

    A 60–90 second loop of the best approved photos while the ice is resurfaced or the teams are in the locker room. Put the QR code on screen for the last 15 seconds so the next break has new photos.

  4. Sign of the night

    Prompt fans to photograph their home-made signs. Signs read well on a board, and the best one can win a small prize from the team store.

  5. Family section shout-out

    Kids' games and family nights: parents post a photo of the family in their seats. Run this one with the approval queue and the venue's policy on photos of children in front of you.

  6. Birthday and first-game board

    Fans post 'First game!' or 'Happy birthday, Sam' with a photo. It's the segment fans ask about at the ticket office next time.

  7. Away fans, honestly

    Some venues welcome a nod to travelling fans and some don't; decide with the venue before the game rather than in the queue.

  8. Post-game thank-you

    After the final whistle, a 30-second loop of the night's approved photos with 'Thanks for coming'. The players walking off often stop to look.

Get these in writing before the first test

  • The venue: permission to put fan photos on the board and concourse screens, which segments, and who operates it on the night.
  • The league or conference: whether fan content is allowed in game presentation, and any rules on sponsor placement, logos and broadcast feeds. Keep the wall off any feed that goes to broadcast unless the rights holder says otherwise.
  • Photos of minors: the venue's or school's photo policy. Many require that a child's photo is only shown when a parent posts it, with no names.
  • The fan's consent: a line on the posting page that photos may be shown on the video board. On Professional, the guest consent step asks for it before anyone posts, with a separate optional tick for social media.

Two things to leave off, as house rules: video (turn guest video off for the wall, so only still photos reach the board) and face matching. QR Wall does not identify people in photos, and a fan wall shouldn't try to.

A run of show for a two-hour game

Written for basketball or hockey; adjust the breaks to your sport.

  1. Doors open (−60 min): concourse screens show the wall in Grid with the QR code and the night's prompt. Operator approves as photos arrive.
  2. Warm-ups (−30 min): one 30-second wall segment on the board with the QR code large.
  3. First media timeout: one 'fan of the timeout' photo, full screen.
  4. Halftime or intermission: the 60–90 second loop, QR code on screen at the end.
  5. Second half or third period: sign of the night, one more fan of the timeout.
  6. Final whistle: 30-second thank-you loop while the crowd leaves.

That's about four minutes of board time in a game. Ask the venue for it as named segments in the script, the same way sponsor reads are scheduled.

How to set it up

Allow half an hour the first time, after the permissions are in writing.

  1. 1

    Create the wall on Professional

    Create a wall at qrwall.live, name it for the game or the season, and put the prompt in the title. Use Professional ($19.99/month): it has the approval queue, AI screening at five sensitivity levels, the guest consent step and your logo in the QR code.

  2. 2

    Switch on the approval queue and turn video off

    Turn on approval so every post waits for a tap before it can reach the screen, set AI screening to a strict level, and turn guest video off from the phone remote so only photos come in.

  3. 3

    Give the operator the queue

    The approval queue runs on a phone or a laptop. Give it to one person in the control room or the press box whose only job during the game is approving photos.

  4. 4

    Feed the board

    Open the wall's display link full screen on a laptop and give the control room that feed, or open it on the concourse screens' browsers. Use Slideshow or TV view for single photos on a board and Grid for concourse screens. Test it on the actual board at a practice or an empty-arena rehearsal.

  5. 5

    Put the QR code where fans can scan it

    The QR code is shown on the wall itself, so it appears every time the segment runs. Make it large on the board for a few seconds per segment; seat-back cards and concourse signs add to it but don't replace it.

  6. 6

    Plan for the rush

    Most photos arrive in the breaks, all at once. For a crowd where hundreds of fans post at the same moment, the Event Performance Boost add-on ($29, 7 days, Professional only) reserves capacity around the game and includes a check of your setup beforehand.

What goes wrong

  • ✗Testing on the board before anyone said yes. A fan photo on a video board without the venue's agreement can end the experiment on night one.
  • ✗No approval queue. AI screening catches obvious problems; it can't judge a rival chant or an in-joke. On a public board, a person approves everything.
  • ✗Running it during play. Fans came for the game. Keep the wall to the breaks.
  • ✗Promising every fan a moment. At 3–6% participation there will still be more photos than board time. Say 'the best photos go on the board', not 'every photo'.
  • ✗Leaving video on. Short clips are harder to check in a hurry and carry sound and music issues. Photos only.
  • ✗Putting it on the broadcast feed by accident. Ask the control room which outputs go to TV or streaming and keep the wall off them unless the rights holder agreed.

Fan photo wall, fan cam or social hashtag wall

Three ways to put fans on the board. Each has its place.

Option Who shoots Better at Weaker at
Fan photo wall (QR, approval queue) Fans, from their seats Fans choose to take part; every photo approved; works for fans with no social accounts Needs an operator on the queue; a few percent of the crowd post
Fan cam (kiss cam, dance cam) The venue's camera crew Live, high energy, no fan action needed Fans haven't chosen to be on screen; needs a crew and a camera
Social hashtag wall Fans, on public social media Reach beyond the arena; good for sponsor campaigns Only fans who post publicly; slower to moderate; content comes from outside the venue too

Frequently asked questions

How do you put fan photos on a scoreboard?

Get written permission from the venue and the league, then run a QR photo wall with an approval queue. Fans scan a QR code shown on the board or the concourse screens and post a photo from their phone's browser; an operator approves each one, and the wall's display link feeds the board in the breaks in play.

How many fans will post?

Fewer than at a private event. As a rule of thumb, plan for 3–6% of a stadium crowd to post, against 63% of guests at a private party on our own walls. At 5,000 fans that's roughly 150–300 photos, which is more than a game's board time can show.

Do we need the league's permission as well as the venue's?

Usually, yes. The venue owns the board, but leagues and conferences often set rules for game presentation, sponsor placement and what can appear on broadcast feeds. Get both in writing before you test.

Can fans post videos to the scoreboard wall?

Turn video off for a scoreboard wall. Clips are harder to check quickly and bring sound and music rights issues. QR Wall lets the host turn guest video off, so only still photos come in.

Does QR Wall recognise faces or identify fans?

No. QR Wall doesn't match or identify faces. Fans choose to post, and on Professional a consent step asks them to agree to the screen (and, separately and optionally, to social media) before they post.

What plan does a scoreboard wall need?

Professional ($19.99/month). It has the approval queue, AI screening, the guest consent step and your logo in the QR code. For crowds where hundreds post at once, add the Event Performance Boost ($29 for 7 days).

Rehearse it on a laptop before you ask for the board

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