Lead capture is shared work. Booth staff hold the conversation and write the note, a capture owner sets up and checks the system, marketing operations validate and route the data, and sales accept and follow up. There is no single standard split, so agree it before the show, name people not just job titles, and give one person oversight of the whole process.
Most lead capture problems are ownership problems. Nobody knew who checked the data, who assigned the contact or who would follow up. Settle it on paper before the doors open.
Reference
The roles
| Role | Main job in lead capture |
|---|---|
| Booth staff | Hold the conversation, ask permission, scan, ask a few questions and write a short note |
| Lead-capture owner | Set up devices, fields and questions, train people and check the data each day |
| Marketing operations | Validate, deduplicate and tag records, and run the CRM sync |
| Sales | Accept or reject leads, follow up and give feedback on quality |
| Account owners and customer success | Take customers and partners who should not be treated as new leads |
| Overseeing owner | The event lead or a RevOps lead who signs off the plan, tracks service levels and settles disputes about lead quality |
Reference
A RACI to agree before the show
R is responsible, A is accountable, C is consulted and I is informed. Use named people, not just titles.
| Activity | Responsible | Accountable | Consulted | Informed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Choose capture methods and tools | Lead-capture owner | Event lead | Marketing operations and sales | Booth staff |
| Set fields, questions and consent wording | Lead-capture owner | Event lead | Sales, marketing operations and legal | Booth staff |
| Train booth staff | Lead-capture owner | Event lead | Sales | Marketing operations |
| Capture at the booth | Booth staff | Event lead | Lead-capture owner | Sales |
| Review data each day | Lead-capture owner | Event lead | Marketing operations | Sales |
| Validate, deduplicate and tag | Marketing operations | Event lead | Lead-capture owner | Sales |
| Sync and assign owners | Marketing operations | Event lead or RevOps lead | Sales | Booth staff |
| Accept or reject leads | Sales | Sales manager | Marketing operations | Event lead |
| Follow up | Sales | Sales manager | Marketing | Event lead |
| Measure capture quality | Marketing operations | Event lead | Sales | Leadership |
Reference
One person or two at the booth?
| Model | How it works | Works best when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| One person | The person talking also scans and writes the note | Traffic is moderate and staff are well trained | Notes get skipped when the booth is busy |
| Two people | One person has the conversation and a colleague scans, asks the questions and writes the note | Traffic is heavy or conversations are long | Needs two people per interaction and a clear handover between them |
| Hybrid | Greeters scan and ask the basic questions, and a specialist goes deeper on promising visitors | Different skill levels and a need for consistency | The note must pass between people without losing detail |
Checklist
Devices, logins and access
- Check how licences and logins work: many tools tie one to a person and a device
- Give each person their own login rather than sharing one
- Test every device and login before travelling
- Agree who can see and export event data
- Record which person captured each lead, so notes can be followed up
Train each role for its job
Booth staff
- A short hands-on practice with the real app and questions
- The permission script and how to write a note
- The offline fallback
Capture owner and operations
- Configuring fields, questions and consent wording
- Testing offline mode and the CRM mapping
- Daily data review, deduplication and routing
Sales
- What a record contains and what the tiers mean
- How to accept or reject a lead and give a reason
- The agreed response times
For booth staff training in full, see the Booth Staff Training Guide.
Worksheet
Worksheet: lead capture ownership sheet
| Event and dates | |
| Overseeing owner | |
| Lead-capture owner | |
| Booth staff and devices | |
| Marketing operations contact | |
| Sales owners by territory or account | |
| Response times agreed with sales | |
| Sign-off date |
Frequently asked questions
Who is responsible for lead capture at a trade show?
It is shared. Booth staff capture and write the note, a capture owner sets up and checks the system, marketing operations validate and route the data, and sales follow up. Name one overseeing owner.
Should marketing or sales qualify event leads?
Teams do both. What matters is that the split is agreed before the show, with clear criteria and named owners, so leads are not lost between teams.
Do booth staff need their own logins for lead capture?
Usually yes. Many tools tie a licence to a person and a device, and individual logins show who captured each lead. Check how your tool works before the event.