Use one playbook for every event. Before the show, define a qualified lead and prepare methods, fields, routing and backups. During it, capture with permission, a short note and an owner. Afterwards, reconcile, validate and measure.
Everything in this guide on one page. Print it, share it with the booth team and adapt it to your events.
Framework
Before, during and after
Quick dos and don'ts
Do
- Define a qualified event lead before the event
- Ask permission before scanning
- Capture the visitor problem, not just contact details
- Ask two or three relevant questions
- Record the next action while the conversation is fresh
- Assign one accountable owner
- Test CRM mappings before event day
- Prepare offline and manual backups
- Record opt-outs and preferences
Do not
- Optimise only for scan volume
- Scan everyone without a relevant conversation
- Assume a badge scan equals unrestricted marketing consent
- Rely on staff memory after the event
- Leave contacts without owners or next actions
- Send every contact the same sales email
- Launch follow-up before checking duplicates and invalid records
- Depend entirely on venue Wi-Fi
Worksheet
A simple lead tracker
If you are starting in Google Sheets or another spreadsheet, begin here. A spreadsheet cannot enforce required fields or sync to a CRM, so move to a capture tool as your volume grows.
| Contact and company | |
| Event and source | |
| What they need | |
| Conversation note | |
| Priority | |
| Owner | |
| Next action and due date | |
| Permission or preference |
Once capture is done, continue with the Event Follow-Up Guide and the post-event debrief.
Reference
A pre-show lead capture meeting
| Agenda item | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Goals and the definition of a qualified lead | Everyone agrees what good looks like |
| Methods, fields and questions | The capture setup is confirmed |
| Roles and the ownership sheet | Every step has a named owner |
| Consent wording and organiser rules | Staff know what to say and what not to do |
| Devices, logins and the offline plan | Everything is tested |
| Follow-up and handoff | Sales agrees response times |
Frequently asked questions
What should an event lead capture checklist include?
Goals and a qualified-lead definition, capture methods, fields and questions, CRM mapping, routing, consent wording, device and offline tests, staff training and backups, then reconciliation, validation and measurement afterwards.
What are the dos and donts of lead capture?
Do ask permission, capture the problem, assign an owner and measure quality. Do not optimise only for scan volume, assume consent, rely on memory or skip testing your backups.
Can you use a spreadsheet to capture event leads?
Yes, as a starting point. A spreadsheet cannot enforce required fields or sync to a CRM, so consider a capture tool as volume grows.
Put the playbook into practice
Capture, qualify and score event leads in one workflow.