How do I collect emails at a live event?

To collect emails at a live event, give people a specific reason and a fast way to act. Offer your slides, a recording, a checklist, or a giveaway entry. Put a QR code and a keyword like "Text DEMO to 33777" on screen, say it out loud, and leave it up. People text in from their seat, reply with their email, get what you promised, and go straight into your email tool. It takes a few texts, and you have no sign-up sheet to decode at the hotel that night.

What's the simplest setup for a talk?

1. Pick the offer. Your slide deck is the easiest. Speakers get asked for it anyway. See What should I offer people for texting in?
2. Pick the trigger. A keyword on 33777 or 55444, a QR code, or both: each flow has one trigger, so copy the flow for the second one. QR code or keyword? explains why both.
3. Ask for the email, and maybe one more thing. One question at a time, by text. A first name or company is the usual second question.
4. Deliver it. Upload the slides once and the flow sends a tracked download link by text or email when someone finishes.
5. Send it to your list. Add the contact to Mailchimp, Kit, ActiveCampaign, or HubSpot, or connect another tool through Zapier.
6. Put it on the last slide and say it. "Text DEMO to 33777 and I'll send you the deck." Leave it up through Q&A.

At a booth, the same setup goes on a sign at eye level, and the offer is usually a giveaway entry or a guide.

How does this compare with a sign-up sheet or a form?

	Paper sign-up sheet	Web form from a QR code	Text-to-join
What people do	Write by hand, often in a line	Open a page, fill in fields	Text a word, reply to a question or two
Typos	Kept, and handwriting must be read later	Depends on the form	Answers that don't look right get a retry
Works when you say it out loud	No	No, they need the link	Yes, with a keyword
Getting it into your email tool	You type it in	Depends on the form tool	Sent when they finish
Delivers your slides	You email them later	Depends on the setup	Sent when they finish

Badge scanning is another option at trade shows, but it only works where the event issues badges, and it captures who stopped by rather than someone asking for something. Replacing paper sign-up sheets has more on the switch.

When should I ask?

Ask when people have a free hand and a reason. For a speaker, that's the final minutes before Q&A, with the slide left up while people line up at the mic. For a workshop, it's when you hand out the exercise, if the worksheet is the offer. At a booth it's all day, at eye level, with someone saying it to the people waiting. At a concert, it's from the stage before the last song and again at the merch table.

Avoid the moment everyone stands up to leave. People who are packing a bag won't stop to type.

What should I ask for besides the email?

Only what you'll use. Across Textiful flows over 90 days in 2026, completion was 89.5% with one question, 83.1% with two, and 85.0% with three, then 66.0% with four, though the four-question sample was small (247 starts). An email plus one more detail is a safe default. Asking for a zip fills in city and state for you. How many questions should I ask when collecting leads? has the full table.

How does Textiful help?

Textiful runs the whole thing: a keyword and free QR codes to start, a capture flow that asks for the email and sends your handout, and your email tool or CRM at the end (integrations).

Try it at your next event → Start a free trial