Lead capture and live polls for conferences
Polls on the main stage, feedback for every session, and leads for every sponsor, all by text.
14-day free trial. Every feature on every plan.
- Scanned the QR code in Room B
- How would you rate this session, from 1 to 5?
- 4
- Thanks! Anything the speaker should know?
Eight rooms, one main stage, and a survey nobody opens.
The app survey is three taps deep
A feedback form inside the conference app gets opened by the people who were going to give feedback anyway. The emailed survey arrives when everyone is back at their desks.
Main-stage polls depend on the Wi-Fi
A web poll asks 900 people to open a URL and type a code on the venue network at the same moment. Half the room is still loading when you move on.
You can’t tell which rooms worked
Paper forms pile up on chairs, and the totals you compare afterward don’t say which breakout landed and which emptied out at the halfway mark.
How conference organizers use Textiful
Poll the main stage
Put the question and a keyword on screen, and the votes build on the projected results page as they arrive. Pick the dark theme for a dim ballroom and close the poll when the speaker is ready. How to run a live poll without an app has the details.
- SUMMIT
- Which track are you here for? Reply A) product, B) marketing, or C) operations
- B
- Thanks for voting! Watch the screen.
A rating for every breakout
Add each session with its start and end time, then give each room one QR code on the door sign and the speaker’s last slide. Each rating goes to the talk running in that room, and every session gets its own report with the average and the comments.
- Scanned the QR code in Room B
- How would you rate Scaling support teams? Reply with a number from 1 to 5.
- 5
Slides when attendees ask
For speakers who agree to share, upload the deck once to Handouts and add it to the room’s flow after the rating. Attendees get the slides by email from their seat, and you get their email for next year’s early-bird list.
- Thanks! Want the speaker’s slides? Reply with your email.
- priya@example.com
- On their way to your inbox.
Leads for every sponsor
Give each sponsor its own flow and free QR code for the booth or the breakfast table tent. Each sponsor’s leads report separately, and an email can go to that sponsor’s team as each one arrives. See how to give sponsors the leads they paid for.
- Scanned the QR code at the Acme booth
- Acme will send you the benchmark report. What’s your work email?
- dan@example.com
The features conferences and events use most
- Session feedback
Attendees rate a session from 1 to 5 or 1 to 10 and add a comment. One keyword can cover a whole event, and every session gets its own report.
- Live polls
Ask a question, let the room vote by text, and project the results as they come in. Countdown, winner banner, and confetti included.
- QR codes
Free, unlimited QR codes that open a pre-filled text. Print them on banners, slides, and table tents, and see how many people scanned each one.
- Capture data via text
Email, name, company, location, or any custom field, asked one question at a time. Start from a template and change the wording to sound like you.
- Handouts
Upload your slides, guide, or recording once. Textiful sends it by text or email the moment someone finishes, and tracks every download.
Set up the event in an afternoon
- 1
Add the agenda
Enter each session with its start and end time under Session Feedback, then make one feedback flow per room.
- 2
Print the codes
One free QR code per room for the door sign and the last slide, and a keyword for the main stage. One keyword is included on your plan.
- 3
Share the results
Invite session chairs as view only, and send each speaker their report the same day. Setting up a multi-session conference walks through the whole event.
Before and after
| The usual approach | With Textiful | |
|---|---|---|
| Session feedback | An app survey or an emailed form after the event | A rating and comment by text, in the room |
| Main-stage polls | A URL and a join code on the venue Wi-Fi | A reply by text, with results on the big screen |
| Which sessions landed | Survey totals compared weeks later | An average and comments for each session, during the event |
| Speaker slides | Emailed in bulk days later | Sent when the attendee asks, from the room |
| Sponsor leads | A headcount and rented badge scanners | A separate list per sponsor, ready to export |
Who it’s for
Organizers of conferences, summits, association meetings, and multi-track events in the US who want polls, feedback, and contacts from the room without another app, and who want each room and sponsor to report separately.
Who should skip it
Events where most attendees carry non-US phones, since 33777 and 55444 work with US carriers only. Events that need anonymous voting tied to verified member identities need a dedicated voting system.
Solutions for conferences and events
How conference organizers can give sponsors the leads they paid for
To give conference sponsors leads, set up one capture flow per sponsor, each with its own free QR code on that sponsor's booth, session slide, or table tent. Attendees scan, answer a question or two by text, and get the sponsor's handout. Each flow reports separately, can email that sponsor's team as each lead arrives, and exports to a CSV you send the sponsor after the show.
ReadHow to collect emails at a trade show booth without a badge scanner
To collect emails at a trade show booth without a badge scanner, put a QR code on your booth sign that opens a text to a Textiful short code. The visitor taps send, answers one or two questions by text, and their details go to your email tool while a notification reaches the rep who owns the follow-up.
ReadHow to run a live poll without an app download
To run a live poll without an app download, have the audience vote by text: they text your keyword to 33777 or scan a QR code, then reply with a letter. Textiful counts the votes, forgives one-letter typos, and shows live results on a public page you can project.
ReadHow to run a trade show contest that collects qualified leads
To run a trade show contest that collects qualified leads, let visitors enter by scanning a QR code or texting a keyword, once each, and ask one qualifying question before the entry. Textiful draws winners at random on a screen at the booth at the times you set, texts each winner how to claim the prize, and sends every entrant to your CRM or email tool with their answer.
ReadHow to run event registration and check-in by text
To run event check-in by text, put a QR code on a sign at the door or registration table and a keyword on the same sign. Each arrival scans or texts, gives a name and email by text, and Textiful tags them with the event. When doors close, the list of who came is ready to filter, export as a CSV, or find in your email tool.
ReadHow to set up text-in across a multi-session conference
To set up text-in across a multi-session conference, give each room its own capture flow and free QR code, and use one keyword for the main stage. Each room's feedback flow uses "Whichever is running", so a rating goes to the session on in that room at the time. Sponsors get a flow each, and a shared event tag ties every contact together for your email tool.
ReadHow to use a QR code to collect emails
To use a QR code to collect emails, point the code at a text conversation instead of a web form. With Textiful, scanning opens the phone's texting app with a message already written; the person taps send, replies with their email, and is added to your Mailchimp, Kit, or ActiveCampaign list. QR codes are free and unlimited on every plan.
ReadQuestions people ask
Each room should. QR codes are free and unlimited, and a feedback flow set to "Whichever is running" sends each rating to the session on in that room at the time. One code on the Room B door covers every talk in Room B, and each session still gets its own report.
For a single track, yes. Add your sessions with start and end times and choose "Whichever is running" in the feedback step. Sessions in one step can't overlap, so when rooms run at the same time, give each room its own flow and QR code.
Yes. They reply by text with a letter, the answer text, or a near miss, and one-letter typos are forgiven. Results show on a public page you can project, with counts and percentages and never names or phone numbers.
Yes. The "Collect session feedback" template asks for a rating, 1 to 5 or 1 to 10, and an optional comment, and you can add an email step before or after it. A conversation counts once however many questions it has.
Yes. Invite teammates as admin, member, or view only, so a session chair can watch results without being able to edit flows.
Keep exploring
Event lead capture: a playbook for live audiences
How to turn a room into contacts you can follow up with: what to offer, how to ask from the stage or the booth, what to ask for, and what to do in the 24 hours after.
ReadLive poll
A live poll is a question put to an audience in real time, with answers collected from people's phones or devices and results shown as they come in, often on the screen behind the speaker. It's used for audience participation, quick feedback, and group decisions during talks, classes, services, and shows.
ReadAudience response system
An audience response system (ARS) is a tool that lets everyone in a room answer a question at the same time and shows the combined results to the presenter or the whole audience. Early systems used handheld clickers; most now run on attendees' phones through a web page, an app, or text messages.
ReadCapture flow
A capture flow is a short, automated text conversation that starts when someone texts a keyword or scans a QR code. It asks for their details one question at a time, delivers what was promised, and sends the contact on to other tools. Capture flow is Textiful's name for this; it's also called a text-to-join flow.
ReadLead capture
Lead capture is the process of collecting contact details, usually an email address and name, from people interested in what you offer, so you can follow up with them later. Common methods include web forms, paper sign-up sheets, trade show badge scanning, and text-to-join.
ReadTrade show lead capture for booth teams
Trade show lead capture with Textiful works from the visitor's own phone: they scan a QR code on your booth sign or text a keyword to 33777, answer two or three questions, and the lead goes to your CRM. Your reps get an email for each lead, so a hot one doesn't wait until Monday.
ReadSend your slides and get feedback on every talk
For a professional speaker, the talk is the product. Textiful handles the two jobs around it: the audience texts a keyword or scans a QR code to get your slide deck on their phone, and rates the talk by text before they leave, so you and the organizer get a report for every session. The people who ask for the deck join your list along the way.
ReadWebinar audience engagement by text
Webinar audience engagement by text puts the phone next to the laptop to work: viewers scan a QR code on your slide or text a keyword, vote in a live poll, and give an email in the same conversation. You screen-share the results page, and every voter lands in your list.
ReadReady for your next event?
Try Textiful free for 14 days. Set up a QR code or keyword in minutes and see who shows up.