If your trade show floor is buzzing but exhibitors are still juggling fishbowl business cards or clunky rental scanners, it is time to modernize. The short answer, many event platforms now offer built-in exhibitor lead capture, usually via QR or NFC on attendee badges and in the mobile app. Below, I’ll break down which event solutions support exhibitor lead scanning, what to look for, and how to compare the options for enterprises, associations, and others.
What “lead scanning” means in 2025
Lead scanning lets exhibitors capture attendee contact and context at the booth with a quick badge scan or in-app action. The better systems also log notes, score leads, sync to your CRM, and show real-time performance. You will see this packaged as “lead retrieval,” “lead capture,” or simply “scanning.” Many full-stack event platforms include it natively, and several specialists focus solely on onsite capture and badge tech. For example, Accelevents highlights built-in exhibitor lead capture tools as part of the core platform, alongside registration, mobile apps, and analytics.
Event platforms that include exhibitor lead scanning
Below are widely used event management platforms that support exhibitor lead capture as part of a broader toolset.
1) Accelevents lead capture and exhibitor tools
Accelevents offers native lead capture on mobile with QR scanning, offline mode, unlimited users, notes, lead scoring, real-time reports, and integrated meeting booking. Exhibitors can scan badges in seconds, track ROI, and push data to sales in hours, not weeks. The exhibitor toolset sits within a single data model that also powers registration, onsite, mobile, and virtual components, so your scans, sessions, and meetings line up in analytics without manual stitching.
- Want a quick sense of the setup and badge workflow you would pair with scanning, see event check in.
- If your sponsors ask for post-show proof, point them to in depth analytics.
Where this helps: exhibitors capture clean data and notes at source, organizers view cross-event conversion, and marketing can segment based on booth interactions.
2) Cvent
Cvent is a long-standing enterprise platform with extensive modules, including exhibitor management and lead retrieval options. Reviewers often cite complex onboarding and certification paths, so factor in time and training, especially for large expos.
3) Bizzabo
Bizzabo offers event apps, registration, and expo tools, with feature breadth that includes exhibitor ROI capabilities. Expect a sophisticated environment and confirm which scanning license is included in your plan versus add-ons.
4) RainFocus
RainFocus targets very large portfolios, selected by global brands because of system complexity and scale. Certification is typically needed. If your team can absorb the learning curve, you will find enterprise expo workflows and integrations that support exhibitor lead data across programs.
5) Stova
Stova provides an end-to-end event stack, including onsite and expo tooling. Validate which scanning methods your venue supports and any per-exhibitor license needs before contracting.
6) Swoogo
Swoogo pairs registration sites with expo features and app options through partners. If your priority is exhibitor scanning at scale, ask about device policies and data export paths to your CRM.
7) vFairs
vFairs supports in-person, hybrid, and virtual expos. It offers sponsor and exhibitor packages with capture workflows, and like others here, it varies by plan and services.
Tip: No matter which platform you choose, map scanning to badge formats, kiosk setup, and Wi-Fi constraints. Specialist vendors like fielddrive focus on self-check-in, live badging, and lead capture hardware, and Validar provides registration and lead retrieval centered on the badge credential. These pair with multiple registration systems when you want deeper onsite rigging.
What to look for in exhibitor lead scanning
1) Capture methods and speed
Badge QR, NFC, and app-to-app interactions should work with minimal taps. Test kiosk and mobile flows during your dry run.
2) Notes, scoring, and follow-ups
Booth staff need to tag interest, add notes, and set follow-ups on the spot. Some tools even summarize booth conversations and push to CRM, a trend noted among new AI-assisted tools.
3) Real-time dashboards and shareable reports
Ops teams should view scans per hour, hot leads, and staff productivity without CSV gymnastics. Industry research shows real-time data dashboards are widely offered across leading platforms, with exhibitor portals common.
4) Offline mode and device policies
Ballrooms and halls can be Wi-Fi deserts. Ensure scanning works offline and confirm if exhibitors can bring their own devices or must rent.
5) Integrations and data ownership
Direct connectors to Salesforce, HubSpot, and Marketo save weeks of post-event work, and your contract should preserve client data ownership where required.
A quick way to vet platform promises is to ask the “tough questions” recommended by industry experts, including how data flows, what is roadmap versus real, and what the learning curve looks like.
Where Accelevents can benefit enterprises and associations
Accelevents serves 1,847 customers and was intentionally built on one consistent data model across registration, onsite, mobile, and virtual. That foundation matters when your exhibitors scan a badge, schedule a meeting, and that contact auto-appears in your CRM, your pipeline, and your event reports without reconciliation projects. Teams operating a full portfolio of In-person, virtual, hybrid events get the same analytics spine, so an expo in Chicago and a workshop in London roll up seamlessly.
- Registration and ticketing include drag-and-drop pages, badges, one-click event registration forms, unlimited ticket types and codes, group bundles, conditional logic by attendee type, and conversion tracking that ties to exhibitor engagement.
- Exhibitor lead capture is native, with mobile scanning, notes, scoring, unlimited users, and live reports. Exhibitors can book meetings right from the app to turn scans into conversations.
- Integrations are deep, with Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo, plus public REST APIs and webhooks. There are no fees for native integrations. See integrations.
- Reporting is real time and shareable across registration, onsite, mobile, and virtual, so exhibitors and sponsors get predictable ROI views.
- Branding is fully white label across web, mobile, and virtual.
- Pricing is transparent with scalable modules and no surprise add-ons.
Ease of use and flexibility help teams ramp quickly, and if you need help, the support team that responds in less than 21 seconds, 24/7 is on call. That commitment, plus strong customer success, is why many programs standardize on Accelevents for the expo portion of their stack.
For deeper planning resources, browse the Accelevents blog and the dedicated page for lead capture.
Quick comparison checklist for exhibitor scanning
- License model: included, per-exhibitor, or device rental
- Device strategy: BYOD vs rented scanners, supported OS versions
- Badge format: QR vs NFC, compatibility with onsite printers
- Offline capture: how it syncs later, conflict handling
- Data push: native CRM connectors, frequency, field mapping
- Security: SSO, MFA, data ownership model, audit logging
- Analytics: real-time dashboards for exhibitors and organizers
- Services: onsite staffing, SLAs, and training for booth teams
Industry research also shows support response time commitments can vary widely, so include SLA specifics in your evaluation to avoid surprises onsite.
Frequently asked questions
Which event platforms natively support exhibitor lead scanning?
Platforms such as Accelevents, Cvent, Bizzabo, RainFocus, Stova, Swoogo, and vFairs include exhibitor lead capture or integrate it directly, with variations by plan. If you need deeper hardware options, pair your platform with specialists like fielddrive or Validar.
Do exhibitors need to rent dedicated scanners?
Not necessarily. Most modern systems use iOS and Android apps for scanning, with optional rentals for high-traffic booths. Confirm device policies and offline behavior during your onsite test.
How fast should scans show up in our CRM?
With native integrations, data typically syncs near real time or on short polling intervals. Ask vendors to demonstrate live sync to Salesforce or HubSpot and show the exact mapped fields.
What about analytics for sponsors and exhibitors?
Look for live dashboards, shareable reports, and exhibitor portals. Research shows real-time dashboards are standard among leading event management platforms.
Any red flags to watch for in lead capture demos?
Watch for “we will build that later,” vague pricing for scanner licenses, and unclear data ownership. Ask to scan a real badge, add notes, and watch it land in the CRM while you are on the call.
Ready to see how exhibitor scanning can plug into your entire program, from booth to pipeline, with a single data model, strong security, and clean integrations, request a personalized walkthrough here: Request a demo.
