Learn · Exhibitors
Badge scanning vs business cards
A badge scan gives you what the visitor typed when they registered; a business card gives you what their company prints. At a trade show you want both, in the same list, with your notes attached.
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What is the difference between a badge scan and a business card?
A badge scan reads the record the visitor typed when registering for the show; a business card carries what their company prints, usually including a direct phone number, website and address. Badges are faster and every visitor has one; cards also cover the people you meet outside the hall.
| Badge scan | Business card | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the data comes from | The visitor's registration form | The visitor's company |
| Usually includes | Name, company, title, email, country | Name, title, company, direct phone, mobile, website, address, sometimes WeChat or LinkedIn |
| Who has one | Every registered visitor at that show | Most buyers and suppliers, and everyone you meet outside the hall |
| Typical tool | The organiser's official scanner app | A card scanner app, or a phone photo |
| Weak spot | Typos and personal emails from registration; some badges only work with the official app | Non-Latin scripts and handwritten notes need good text reading |
When should you scan the badge?
Scan the badge when the visitor has no card, when the line at your stand is long, or when the organiser runs reporting on badge scans. It is fast and consistent, but it only holds what the visitor typed at registration.
When is a business card better?
A business card is better when you need a direct phone number, a website or a company address, and for every contact you meet outside the hall: at dinners, in the hotel lobby, on the shuttle. Many buyers from Asia and the Middle East hand over cards first and expect you to keep them.
How do you keep badges and cards in one list?
- 01
Use one tool for both
A scanner that reads badge codes and card text puts every contact in the same sheet.
- 02
Add the context on the spot
A voice note or a hot/warm/cold rating, attached to the contact.
- 03
Remove duplicates
The same visitor can give you a badge scan on day one and a card at dinner on day two. Delete the extra row in your sheet or in the dashboard.
How does DaGaMa handle badges and cards?
BoothBot reads either one from a photo in WhatsApp, Telegram or WeChat: the QR, DataMatrix, PDF417 or Aztec code on a badge, and the printed text on a business card, Chinese included. Where the organiser shares its visitor list with DaGaMa, a badge scan also fills in the details from that list. Plain line barcodes are not read; photograph the card instead.
Questions people ask
Can a phone read trade show badges?
Many badges carry a standard QR code or barcode a phone can read. Some organisers encode them so only the official app can; for those, photograph the business card instead.
Which gives better leads, badges or cards?
Neither on its own. Cards usually carry more contact details; badges are faster and every visitor has one. The notes you add are what make either one a lead.
Badges and cards, one list
Photograph either one in WhatsApp, Telegram or WeChat and it lands in a Google Sheet. Your first 24 hours are free.
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