Lead capture for trade show booths
Visitors scan the code on your booth sign, answer two questions, and land in your CRM before they reach the next aisle.
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- Scanned the QR code at Booth 314
- Thanks for stopping by Booth 314! What’s your work email?
- priya@acme.co
- Got it. Your demo invite is on its way.
The booth gets busy, and that’s when leads slip away.
One tablet, one line
At 3 p.m. on day two the aisle is three deep, and the sign-up form only takes one person at a time. The rest walk on.
The badge only knows so much
A scanner gives you what the badge holds. The notes field gets skipped when it’s busy, and the colleague without a badge isn’t captured at all.
Leads reach reps after the show
The export arrives a week later, and the person who said “send me pricing” has already heard from someone else.
How booth teams use Textiful
Put the QR code on the booth sign
Your rep says “Scan that and I’ll send you the price sheet,” and keeps talking. Every visitor fills in their details on their own phone at the same time, and a keyword on the backdrop works from the aisle, where a QR code is too small to scan.
- BOOTH314
- Thanks for stopping by! What’s your work email? We’ll send the price sheet there.
- dana@northfield.com
Send each lead to the right rep
“Email me a notification” emails a rep the moment someone finishes, with their answers, so a hot lead gets a reply that afternoon. Give each rep their own QR code and flow, and every lead they bring in goes straight to their inbox.
- Scanned Marcus’s QR code
- Thanks for talking with Marcus! What’s your work email?
- lee@harborlogistics.com
- Got it. Marcus will be in touch today.
Run a contest that brings people back
Collect a name and email, then draw a winner at the booth at a set time. One entry per phone number, and the draw gives your team a reason to start a conversation. How to run a trade show contest covers the setup, and rules for drawings vary by state.
- PRIZE
- You’re entered! We draw at 4 p.m. at Booth 314. What’s your email?
- sam@brightline.io
Ask the question that sorts the serious leads
Add one custom question, such as “What’s your timeline?” or “Which product line are you here for?”, and the answer goes to HubSpot, Mailchimp, Kit, or ActiveCampaign with the contact. Qualifying leads before you follow up has questions that work.
- Last one. When are you looking to buy? A) this quarter, B) this year, C) just looking
- A
The features trade show booths use most
- 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.
- Giveaways
People enter by text, once each. Draw winners at random, reveal them on a live page, and text them how to claim the prize.
- Keywords
A word your audience can remember and say out loud, on short code 33777 or 55444. Easy to put on a slide and easy to announce from the stage.
- 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 before the show
- 1
Pick a template
Start from “Send an offer or info” for a price sheet or demo, or “Run a giveaway” for a prize drawing. Add your qualifying question.
- 2
Make a code for each booth
QR codes are free, so each booth, show, or rep can have its own. Add a keyword for the backdrop, one included on your plan.
- 3
Connect your CRM
HubSpot is built in. Other CRMs connect through Zapier or a webhook. Then add “Email me a notification” for your reps.
Before and after
| Badge scanner, cards, and a tablet | With Textiful | |
|---|---|---|
| During the rush | One device, one line | Every visitor on their own phone at once |
| What you capture | What the badge holds, notes when there’s time | What the visitor typed, plus your qualifying question |
| Getting leads to reps | An export after the show | An email per lead, during the show |
| Several booths or shows | Separate rentals and exports | A free QR code per booth, each reported separately |
| Into your CRM | A CSV import | HubSpot, Mailchimp, Kit, ActiveCampaign, Zapier, or a webhook |
Who it’s for
B2B exhibitors at US shows who want leads in the CRM the same day, companies running several booths a season, and small teams who can’t spare a person to guard a tablet.
Who should skip it
Booths at shows outside the US, since the short codes only work on US mobile numbers. If the show requires its own scanner for lead data you can’t get any other way, keep the scanner.
Solutions for trade show booths
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 qualify leads at a speaking event before you follow up
To qualify leads at a speaking event, ask for company, role, and one buying-signal question in the same text conversation that delivers your handout. Textiful sends each contact to HubSpot with the answers mapped to properties (or to another CRM through Zapier), and emails the rep a notification with the answers, so the follow-up starts with the right people.
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 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
For many booths, yes. Visitors enter their own details on their own phone, so you get what they type rather than what the badge says. If the show only gives you attendee data through its own scanner, you may want both.
Give each booth or show its own QR code, which is free, or its own keyword. Each one reports separately, and a "Tag the contact" step can label every lead with the show name.
Yes. HubSpot is built in: each lead becomes a HubSpot contact and joins the list for that show. Salesforce and other CRMs connect through Zapier's New Contact trigger, or you can send each contact to a webhook as JSON.
Each visitor runs their own conversation on their own phone, so ten people can scan at once while your staff keeps talking. If you go over your plan's conversations, more are added at $15 per 100.
Yes. Turn on the "Email me a notification" step and an email goes out as each lead reaches it. It can go to several addresses, and each one gets its own copy. Leads also show up on the contact page with the full conversation.
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.
ReadBadge scanning (lead retrieval)
Badge scanning, also called lead retrieval, is how trade show exhibitors collect visitor contact details by scanning the barcode or QR code on attendees' name badges with a device or app. Each scan pulls in the details the attendee gave when they registered for the show.
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.
ReadKeyword (texting)
In texting, a keyword is a word someone texts to a short code to start a specific program, such as SLIDES to get a slide deck or LIST to sign up for a list. On a shared short code, the keyword tells the system which organization and which program the message belongs to.
ReadWebhook
A webhook is an automated message one app sends to another the moment something happens, delivered as an HTTP request to a URL you provide, usually with the details in JSON. It lets systems react to events as they happen instead of checking for changes on a schedule.
ReadConference lead capture for event organizers
Conference lead capture happens in a dozen rooms at once: the main-stage poll, the breakout session survey, the sponsor's booth. Textiful gives each room and moment its own QR code or keyword, asks a question or two by text, and keeps a separate report for each one, with the contacts sent where your team works.
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.
ReadReady for your next event?
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