Good business card etiquette at an event: offer a card when it is useful, look at the one you receive and use the name, add a short note about where and why you met, and keep the exchange respectful. The goal is a useful connection with context, not a pile of cards.
The goal at an event is not to exchange details with everyone. It is to preserve a useful connection with the right context.
Business card etiquette at events
Giving a card
- Offer it when the conversation has a reason to continue
- Keep cards clean and up to date
- Say what you will follow up on
Receiving a card
- Look at it briefly and use the person's name
- Keep it somewhere safe
- Add a note about the conversation soon after
Good habits
- Write the context down after the conversation, not during it
- Do not hand cards to everyone
- Follow local norms at international events
Customs around cards vary between countries and industries. At an international event, check what is expected before you go.
Ways to exchange contact details
Options
- Paper business card
- Digital business card
- Event-app connection
- LinkedIn connection
- Email exchange
- Meeting-booking link
- QR code
- CRM or approved contact-capture system
Information worth capturing
- Name, organisation and role
- Contact details
- Conversation topic and shared context
- Promised action and timing
- Communication preference
- Permission status where applicable
Reference
What to do next, by situation
| Situation | Best next action |
|---|---|
| Useful but low urgency | Connect and send a relevant resource |
| Clear shared project | Schedule a follow-up |
| Potential customer | Record context and assign an owner |
| Potential partner | Identify the right internal contact |
| Personal connection | Exchange preferred details |
| No relevance | Thank them without forcing contact exchange |
Exhibitors and attendees
Exhibitors and attendees
Keep exchange consistent across your team
- Agree which contacts go into your CRM or capture tool
- Use one way of recording context
- Give visitors a clear idea of what happens next
Keep it light and useful
- Share details only where there is a reason
- Note what you promised
- Connect on LinkedIn with a personal line
Checklist
Card checklist before the event
- Paper cards ready, with space for a note about where we met
- Digital card tested, with a visible alternative
- QR code or NFC link tested, and it explains what opens
- Privacy and analytics settings reviewed
- Fallback ready: paper or typed details
Choosing between paper and digital? See paper cards, digital cards and NFC.
Frequently asked questions
What is good business card etiquette at a trade show?
Offer a card when the conversation has a reason to continue, look at the card you receive, add a short note about where you met, and keep the exchange respectful and relevant.
How do you ask for contact information at a networking event?
Say why you would like to stay in touch, for example to send a resource or continue the conversation, and ask which way they prefer to connect.
Does accepting a LinkedIn connection mean I can send marketing emails?
No. Do not assume that accepting a digital connection means permission for unrelated marketing communication. Follow privacy rules and your organisation's policy.