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Trade shows are fertile grounds for lead generation and offer a thriving environment of networking and relationship-building. All the industry insiders and entrepreneurs converge here to showcase what they’ve got, forge partnerships, and exchange ideas.
Trade shows involve a significant investment; to justify it, it only makes sense to measure the ROI. Instead of scrambling manually, invest in the right app to collect and manage lead data. With the help of the right trade show lead capture app, you can save time and get data-driven insights to measure returns and alter future strategies accordingly.
In this blog, we’ll explore the top 9 lead retrieval apps and how technology can streamline data collection, boost ROI, and revolutionize how you engage with prospects and partners at your next event.
Whether you need event registration, badge printing, check-in tech, or mobile event app, our in-person event platform offers end-to-end services & tools to simplify the event management process.
The selection of the right lead retrieval app for trade shows needs to align with your event’s unique objectives. With so many options available and tons of features, it can be daunting to find the perfect fit.
Here we have listed the best trade show lead capture apps and discussed their features to help you pick the best event lead retrieval app.
Best for: Capturing leads, filtering and searching leads, reporting, and syncing data with CRM in real time
vFairs is an award-winning event management platform that offers trade show lead capture software and an app for the smooth sailing of trade shows and other virtual, hybrid, and in-person events.
From collecting leads at trade shows to having real-time insights into event performance, vFairs offers the best tools for lead capture when it comes to trade shows.
Our lead capture software empowers organizers to collect, manage, and harness the full potential of lead data for post-event success. Our lead capture app equips exhibitors with the tools to capture leads in multiple ways and empower them to measure ROI with event analytics. They can also add context to each lead, ensuring that the connections made at the event are meaningful and actionable.
Let’s talk about some of the main features of the best lead capture app:
You can use the vFairs lead capture app to set up your trade show and send invite links to exhibitors and sponsors via email. They will later accept the invite and log in to the app with their credentials. Now they can start capturing leads at the trade show.
With the vFairs tradeshow lead capture app, exhibitors and sponsors can say goodbye to manual work. This app enables you to scan attendee badges, QR codes, and physical business cards swiftly and accurately. All the attendee data will be saved, and you will be able to use this data for future analysis.
There are three methods to add lead information in the vFairs trade show lead capture app:
The tradeshow lead capture app lets you categorize leads by adding tags or ratings for organized data. You can mark each lead as cold, warm, hot, or urgent. It allows you to add notes to each lead from your conversations, making follow-up interactions more personal and engaging.
Since trade shows are the epicentre of lead generation, they need more than one person to compile all the data. Exhibitors can invite sales representatives or team members to join their accounts within the vFairs lead capture app. Working together as a team, they can categorize leads, prioritize follow-up, and ensure no valuable connection is left unattended.
The trade show lead generation app goes above and beyond to streamline the entire process with its filter search feature. The filter search feature of the vFairs trade show lead capture app empowers you to view and manage your leads with precision and ease. It acts as a central repository to organize the lead data. You can input a specific keyword that can be a name, tag, or category to display all relevant results.
vFairs seamlessly synchronizes the lead capture app to your vFairs event app or the virtual event platform. Once you sync your data across all platforms, you can easily import it to a CRM or Martech solution of your choice.
This way you get to save time spent on uploading all the data manually thus removing human errors and inefficiencies.
vFairs’ lead capture tool for trade shows offers visual reports and dashboards to provide a clear and concise overview of the lead data. You get to spot trends and patterns at a glance and gauge the event’s ROI.
Besides scan counts, vFairs captures leads per exhibitor and sponsor at the event, providing visual reporting data. It helps you evaluate their contributions to the event’s success. Armed with this data, you can optimize resource allocation and make data-driven decisions in the future.
Pros
“A lead retrieval system on the mobile app was a fantastic benefit, as it eliminated the need for an additional app for our event attendees to download. The various features made available by vFairs allowed for a very user-friendly experience.”
Jonathan C.,Small-Business
“This platform has also been a great lead generation campaign for our partners who chose to have a virtual presence.”
Rachel B.
“[vFairs] helped to strengthen our lead generation strategy, not merely during the conference, but also afterwards with post-event engagements and promotions. Additionally, the comprehensive reporting and responsible data-capturing mechanisms were a plus!”
Janiel S.,Project Manager
Cons
“The only downside is… some of the language used, which is more appropriate for trade shows as opposed to universities.”
Janet J., Director of Industry & Student Connections
Best for: lead retrieval, attendee tracking
Number 2 on our list of the best tradeshow lead capture apps is Cvent. It allows your exhibitors and sponsors to gather all the leads at a trade show in one application. The app for trade shows helps exhibitors build relationships with attendees and engage with them. They can track who they met and later follow up using the Cvent lead capture app. However, users claim that the solution is on the pricier side.
Let’s take a look at some of the features:
The Cvent trade show lead scanner app can be used to assess leads in real-time. Exhibitors and sponsors can scan business cards or name badges to capture leads and qualify them on the spot. During this custom qualification process, they can prioritize leads to make post-event follow-ups more meaningful.
With the Cvent LeadCapture app, exhibitors can export leads on demand to save time and eliminate the risk of error. All the data can be transferred to CRMs. The app’s lead retrieval for trade shows feature also offers protected data privacy so that data is not misused.
Exhibitors can track the number of leads captured during the event. With the reporting capabilities of the app, exhibitors can check lead quality metrics and other KPIs to evaluate the impact of their event participation.
“Easy to use, intuitive, great to keep track of things at conference with this lead capture app, easy to pull up and review data later at the office.”
Anthony B. Manager
“We enjoy going to events and getting as many leads to come back to our Lab to have potential new clients.”
Caitlyn D. PM
“This was a pricey solution for what it is. Not as well integrated with the other Cvent applications as I would have hoped”
Michael H. , Marketing
“There are many glitches with the platform. Once, I was using a whole registree list but part of the list was unavailable from one day to another making it very hard to perform my job the next day.”
User in Financial Service
Best for: Managing & organizing leads
The trade show lead capture app by Whova is designed to help organizers and exhibitors collect all the lead data in one place at trade shows. This allows them to manage and organize leads and connect with them after the event.
Here are some features of the Whova trade show lead capture app:
There are two methods of collecting leads at trade shows with Whova. One is by scanning the QR codes of each attendee and collecting their data in one place, and the other is by adding a lead manually. Exhibitors and sponsors can even search for different leads by adding their names to the search bar.
The app for lead capture allows the exchange of business cards virtually. Exhibitors can scan the mobile business cards of attendees in the Whova trade show lead app at in-person trade shows. The business cards can also be exchanged virtually, and the data can later be used to contact the leads.
All the lead data collected at virtual or in-person booths can be exported to CRMs directly. Whova allows you to connect with different CRMs through Zapier as long as it supports certain integrations.
The Whova app allows exhibitors to explore SmartProfiles of the captured leads and follow up accordingly. The app lets lead generation at trade shows become easier by letting exhibitors identify leads, schedule meetings with them, and connect via audio/video chat within the app.
“It allowed me to do lead generation, save leads, and create my own meetup/event within an event.”
Joshua N., CEO
“Solves getting the name and email address of the lead quickly.”
Andy C., Small Business
“When updating the lead information on the desktop, the view screen is not the same as the edit screen. to import the phone number, I had to copy it from the edit screen because it was not available from the view screen”
Alberto Q.,P.Eng, CITP
“For some events, lead generation is limited if you are an exhibitor or sponsor at a conference that is listed on the Whova site. In other words, you can’t access delegate information so it limits targeting to some degree and you don’t get any results at all for an event if it is not uploaded to Whova.”
User in Construction
Best for: Scanning & collecting lead data
The 6Connex badge scanning app, called Eventory Scanner, also made it to our list of the best tradeshow lead capture apps. It allows exhibitors at trade shows to capture leads. All the data collected by scanning user QR codes is encrypted and GDPR compliant.
However, users have expressed the need for more integration options between the partner profiles and the Eventory Scanner.
Here are the top features of the trade show lead capture app by 6Connex for a deep analysis of the app:
Exhibitors and sponsors can scan trade show leads in real time and collect their information for future connections. This information can be shared with other stakeholders and team members to analyze and follow up with.
All the collected lead information is readily available in the 6Connex badge scanning app for use during and after the trade shows.
The 6Connex trade show lead capture app allows data export to CRM platforms including Eloqua, Salesforce.com, and Marketo.
Pros “6connex comes in lead follow up and statistics retrieved from the meetings are very important for our business.”
User in Education Management
“Terrible usability. menus and content of the screen, no scroll bar. They really need to rethink this.”
User in Biotechnology
The iCapture trade show lead retrieval software allows exhibitors and sponsors to capture trade show leads by scanning attendee badges at the time of the event. Exhibitors can use a star system to rate leads and categorize them for future use.
However, some users have noted that iCapture does not allow them to map fields or create workflows independently, which can limit flexibility. Although the support team is quick to assist, having more control over campaign member statuses and customization based on specific fields or criteria would enhance the user experience.
Their badge scanning technology can integrate details including emails, interests, buying habits, signatures, phone numbers, and addresses. It can scan QR codes, 2D barcodes, and RID to gather information on each attendee.
Most trade show lead capture apps use optical character recognition (OCR) technology to pull text from a business card.
However, the iCapture app sends the image of the business card to a human to transcribe the data from the card and verify it. All the lead data from the app is entered into a spreadsheet that you can access on their site.
The iCapture lead retrieval app for trade shows is integrated with CRMs such as Salesforce, Pardot, Hubspot, etc. All the lead data will automatically sync with any CRM that you are using.
“The system is completely integrated with our MAP and our CRM, and the mapping was made easy with our Account Executive. I can see who has and has not downloaded the application, making it super easy to send out reminders to those specific people.”
Alex G., Digital Marketing Executive
“It would be nice to be able to update some of the terminology in the platform to work for our organization. For example, every scan is referred to as a “lead” when really our view of it is the total shown is total engagements.”
User in Hospital and Healthcare
Best for: Lead capturing
Trade show lead retrieval app for exhibitors, Accelevents, is designed to capture, qualify, and manage leads. It is a good solution for large-scale trade shows, exhibitions, and expos.
Regardless of the lead capture app features discussed further, the app’s features can sometimes be clunky and not well-received by users. In addition, users have also complained about the steep learning curve of the event software.
Exhibitors can scan attendee badges or QR codes to capture lead information instantly. This allows for quick and easy data collection without collecting business cards.
The app provides networking opportunities for exhibitors and attendees. Attendees can book meetings with exhibitors. Exhibitors can use the app to arrange onsite demos with attendees.
With Accelevent’s tracking software, exhibitors can add unlimited sales reps to their booths. Exhibitors can easily track individual sales performance and provide real-time assistance to generate more quality tradeshow leads.
“The on-site check-in, was quick to implement and there were several features that we needed that Accelevents had.”
Verified User in Financial Services.
“Accelevents has so many great tools in it that make event set up and tracking a breeze..”
Tyler M., Director of Member Experience
“If I had to pick one quirky thing it would be the mobile app. It was a bit cumbersome for us. But, we are an in-person event only. Sometimes people would be redirected to the browser instead of the actual app and they’d get frustrated. We would be able to assist 9 of 10 times, but the overall experience can be better.”
Amy K., Membership and Events Coordinator
“I’m afraid the platform has a very steep learning curve. I’m pretty confident that I will be able to work with it again next year, but other users have to rely on me to work with the system.”
Andrea D., Mid-Market
Best for: Lead capturing & retrieval
And next on our list of tradeshow lead capture apps is Bizzabo, a Lead Booster app designed to improve the way exhibitors capture, qualify, and leverage leads. However, some customers found technical difficulties in the Bizzabo app. Here are the features that this trade show lead capture app offers:
Here are the features that this trade show lead capture app offers:
The app allows exhibitors to scan QR codes from event attendees’ badges. With a swift scan, the lead data is collected within the trade show lead capture app. They can edit or update the data collected using badge scanning to correct any errors or add missing data.
Exhibitors can capture tradeshow leads with a quick scan to record potential connections. The app allows them to qualify leads in real time. They can use default qualification questions or create their own to prioritize leads based on their unique criteria.
Exhibitors can instantly see how many leads they have collected and gain real-time insights into their lead acquisition progress. They can search for a lead and edit the data and notes within the trade show lead capture app.
Bizzabo’s Lead Booster app equips exhibitors with lead reports that offer insights into lead acquisition and qualification.
Additionally, the lead retrieval systems for trade shows allow for the instant export of the entire lead list in CSV format.
“Very useful lead generation platform where we collect registrants’ data – we’ve even made a sale from a user who viewed one of our webinars.”
Nicholas S.,Marketing Manager
“Having an interactive platform allowed us to generate valuable leads and to start the lead lifecycle with a great experience.”
User in Computer Software
“Not suitable for our requirements. We encountered technical difficulties, and the features were not what we needed.”
Marcela S., Marketing Consutant
“No customization, it’s a Saas platform, and you need to adapt your flow. No way to manage EU electronic invoicing in an easy way.”
Best for: Lead nurturing, event-based follow-ups
LeadSquared is a comprehensive lead capture tool for events designed to streamline the lead generation process, particularly at trade shows. It allows exhibitors to capture lead data and integrate it with post-event nurturing and marketing strategies.
Exhibitors can qualify leads based on their interaction level and track them throughout the event, making it ideal for generating and nurturing high-quality leads. While the platform offers essential reports such as lead source and lead history, some users say that the advanced-level reporting capabilities are somewhat limited, which may impact users seeking more in-depth analytics.
Exhibitors can capture lead details by scanning badges or QR codes, and the app automatically collects contact information, interests, and more. The app also provides options to add additional details manually, ensuring comprehensive data collection that supports personalized follow-up.
LeadSquared goes beyond basic lead capture by scoring leads based on their engagement and interaction at the event. This allows exhibitors to prioritize their follow-up and tailor their approach based on the quality of the lead.
The LeadSquared lead retrieval app for trade shows easily syncs captured lead data with CRM systems like Salesforce, Pardot, and HubSpot, ensuring a smooth transition from data collection to post-event nurturing. The synchronization helps streamline the lead management process and reduces manual data entry.
“LeadSquared helps organize and track leads, automate follow-ups, and manage sales tasks — all in one platform. The mobile CRM is especially useful for field sales teams who are always on the move.”
Bhagyasri R.,AVP – Project Management
“LeadSquared Sales + Mobile CRM excels in its intuitive interface and seamless integration, enabling teams to manage leads, track activities, and boost productivity effortlessly on the go. Its robust analytics and automation features make it a game-changer for streamlining sales processes.”
Vignesh S.,Manager
“There is no filter to differentiate leads actioned today and earlier. So, for the entire day, you see the same leads and don’t know where to start from.”
Asmi B.
“While I do not personally dislike the system, there are certain aspects where only the manager has access, limiting our ability to make changes to leads. Although this can be challenging, it is not disappointing.”
Anushree R.
Best for: Lead scanning, event management
Eventdex’s lead capture app for trade shows helps exhibitors scan, capture, and manage leads effortlessly. This app provides exhibitors with all the tools they need to collect lead information, prioritize follow-ups, and streamline their post-event processes.
However, some users have mentioned that the app’s user interface can feel clunky at times, and the setup process may take longer than expected.
Here are the key features of the app gathered at the time of writing:
The app allows exhibitors to quickly capture lead information by scanning attendee badges or QR codes. This easy-to-use feature helps collect data in real time, ensuring that no lead is missed during the event.
Eventdex enables exhibitors to qualify leads in real-time with customizable lead scoring criteria. This feature allows exhibitors to prioritize high-quality leads for follow-up, helping improve post-event engagement and conversion rates.
Exhibitors can gain valuable insights into their lead acquisition progress with built-in analytics and reporting tools. The app tracks lead data and provides detailed reports, enabling exhibitors to evaluate the effectiveness of their event participation.
Eventdex integrates seamlessly with popular CRM systems like Salesforce, Pardot, and HubSpot, ensuring that all collected lead data is automatically synced and ready for follow-up.
“The support team is just the best. They literally hand held me from the beginning until the end of my event. Very helpful and cooperative.”
Verified User in Information Technology and Services
“We started using Booth Leads to manage our Connecticut Business Matchmaker event in 2014. We manage both event registrations and schedule 1:1 meetings between participants. Booth Leads made this easy and we received great feedback from participants on the new system. Customer service has been excellent. highly recommend!”
Sandeep S., Business development
“It’s not as intuitive as I would have hoped, but I think with some minor tweaking, it can be a little easier to navigate without training.”
Amber K., Dir Sales & Events
Each tradeshow lead capture app we’ve explored offers a similar set of features however, the end user experience noted by users is very different.
Do your research to understand which one is the best lead capture tool for trade shows that truly delivers the capabilities it promises. Besides the available features, the app’s responsiveness and adaptability are essential.
Opt for a solution that is easy to use, scalable, and offers customization. Ideally, you want to choose an app that offers you and your exhibitors the flexibility to use it as individuals or across the entire team. Take the time to assess your specific needs and feature priorities.
Ideally, you want to choose an app that offers you and your exhibitors the flexibility to use it as individuals or across the entire team. Take the time to assess your specific needs and feature priorities. With our detailed review of all the best lead capture apps, it is fair to say that vFairs has it all and more.
Here is a quick demo for vFairs.
Lead capture refers to the process of independently gathering potential customer information, such as names, emails, or interests, during events or through online forms. Lead retrieval, on the other hand, is more focused on collecting this information at an event, often by scanning attendee badges or QR codes to retrieve data collected by the organizer, making it more efficient for event follow-ups.
Lead capture is the process of collecting potential customer information at events, websites, or through various marketing channels. It often involves using forms, QR codes, or apps to gather data such as names, emails, or interests from attendees, helping to generate a list of leads for follow-up or nurturing.
At events, you can capture leads by using tools like lead capture apps, badge scanning technology, or QR codes. Exhibitors can collect attendee details by scanning badges, entering data manually, or using mobile apps to capture emails and interests during conversations or interactions at booths.
To collect emails at trade shows, use lead capture tools or apps that allow you to scan attendee badges or QR codes. Attendees may also provide their emails when they register for the event, or you can request their contact information during your interactions at the event using forms or business card scanning.
Lead scoring is the method of ranking leads based on their likelihood to convert, often using a numerical value to assess their potential. Lead grading, on the other hand, evaluates the quality of the lead based on predetermined criteria such as company size, job title, or fit within your target audience, helping prioritize the most valuable prospects.
Aqsa Ayub
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