Lead retrieval at trade shows: how it works, costs and your options
Lead retrieval explained: how trade show badge scanning works, published prices from official event sources, license limits, and the CRM hand-off.
- Lead retrieval is the organizer's badge scanning service. SEMICON West 2026 sells a $409 app licence or $549 for three, plus $149 per extra licence.
- A badge scan returns the attendee's registration record. Account fit, CRM owner and next step are not in it.
- There are 3 capture routes: the official rental, a universal scanner app, and capture that writes to Salesforce or HubSpot with booth notes.
- Check the event year, currency, device count and order deadline. A 3-user package and a single-device licence cover different booth sizes.
Trade show lead retrieval is the service that turns a badge scan at your booth into a contact record. The organizer appoints one contractor to run it, and you rent its app or scanner for the event. This primer covers how a scan works, what it costs on official order forms, the 3 ways to capture booth leads, and how they reach Salesforce or HubSpot.
What is lead retrieval?
Lead retrieval is the official badge scanning service at a trade show or conference. It sits on the exhibitor order form next to electrical, furniture and carpet.
Look for these 3 items on the order form:
- Lead retrieval provider. The one contractor the organizer appoints. In 2026 that included Cvent, Maritz, CMR and American Tradeshow Services (ATS).
- App licence or activation. Access for the stated number of users or devices at one event. Check whether a package covers one, three, or more, and whether licences can move between phones.
- API or badge kit. Paid access to the attendee database, so a scanner or app you already own gets the full record. Ask which fields it returns, which scanned attendees it covers, and whether device limits or approval apply.
How a badge scan works, step by step
- Badge: A QR code or barcode holds the attendee ID.
- Scan: The app or handheld reads it at the booth.
- Lookup: The contractor returns the registration record.
- CRM record: Owner, notes and next step in Salesforce or HubSpot.
- The attendee registers. Name, company, job details and any registration questions go into the organizer’s database.
- The badge is printed. A QR code or barcode on it carries an attendee ID. At many events the code holds only that ID.
- Your rep scans the badge. The contractor’s app or handheld reads the code. Some devices keep scanning without a connection and upload later.
- The contractor returns the record. Your rep adds action codes, qualifier answers, a rating and notes.
- The lead lands somewhere. A portal you can export from, a CSV after the event, a paid API, or a CRM record, depending on the route.
- The scan returns: Name, Organization, Mailing address, Phone, Fax, Email, Attendee ID.
- Your booth team adds: Action codes, Qualifier answers, Lead rating, Notes.
- Neither one tells you: Target account?, In the CRM?, Account owner, Next step and date.
The field example comes from the ATD 2026 CMR order form. Ask your event provider for its field list.
The last group is the one sales asks about first. It is also the part worth capturing at the booth besides the badge scan.
Rent the organizer’s app, buy a scanner, or capture into the CRM
There are 3 common ways to capture booth leads. You can combine them depending on the data you need and how it reaches your CRM.
Organizer’s rental
- Who sells it
- The contractor the organizer appoints: Cvent LeadCapture, Maritz (SWAP, XPress Leads), CMR, ATS
- A scan returns
- The full registration record, plus your qualifiers and notes
- Leads land in
- The contractor's portal, as a CSV, or through its paid API
- Cost
- $299 to $540 per app licence in the published sample
- Fits
- One event with straightforward badge scanning
Universal scanner app
- Who sells it
- Capture vendors that work across events, such as Cvent iCapture and Popl
- A scan returns
- What the badge or card shows, or the full record when you buy the event's API or badge kit
- Leads land in
- The vendor's app, often synced to a CRM
- Cost
- Vendor contract, plus $350 to $1,370 per event for an API or badge kit
- Fits
- Several events a year and one app your reps already know
Capture that writes to the CRM
- Who sells it
- Event pipeline platforms such as Luminik, working on top of route 1 or 2
- A scan returns
- The scan, matched to its account, owner and ICP fit, with booth notes attached
- Leads land in
- Salesforce or HubSpot, with a follow-up task for the owner
- Cost
- Platform subscription; the event fee for the scan still applies
- Fits
- Teams where sales needs an owner and next step the same day
Route 1: the organizer’s rental
The organizer picks the contractor, so this is the route that works on day one. Check activation, offline use and export access before your team arrives. Examples include:
- ATS LeadsPlus. SEMICON West 2026 uses American Tradeshow Services. ATS sells app licences, bundles, rental devices and a developer kit for the event.
- Cvent LeadCapture. ASMBS 2026 offers an app for your own device, a rental device and a developer API kit.
- Maritz SWAP. AAOS 2027 sells individual and 3-device activations, rental scanners and an event API.
Where it falls short: a new app and a new login at every event, usually a CSV at the end, and no link to the accounts your team already owns. An API package still needs a tested integration and field mapping.
Route 2: a universal badge and card scanner app
A universal app goes with your team from event to event, and reps learn one workflow. It reads what the badge or business card shows. For the full registration record it needs the event’s API or badge kit.
- Cvent iCapture. Cvent says it works with more than 130 badge providers, scans cards and photos, and sends leads to Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo and Eloqua (Cvent iCapture). Pricing is by quote.
- Popl. Offers native Salesforce and HubSpot integrations, with pricing by quote (Popl pricing).
- Swapcard events. The organizer can turn on a Leads API for exhibitors. Your app sends the badge code and gets the attendee’s contact details back (Swapcard release note).
“The value for me is also in having one tool that's the same at every event so the people we send don't have to learn a new tool every time they go to a different event.”
Route 3: capture that writes to the CRM with booth notes
This route sits on top of the scan from route 1 or 2. Each lead is matched to its account and owner as it is captured, and the booth notes and follow-up task go into Salesforce or HubSpot.
What it adds to a scan:
- the account match, so an existing customer or open deal is flagged at the booth
- the owner, taken from the account or from your routing rules
- ICP fit, scored before the event
- notes typed or spoken at the booth, attached to the record
- a follow-up task with a due date, owned by the rep who had the conversation
In Luminik that means QR scan and on-device badge OCR with per-field confidence, transcribed voice notes, an offline queue, and a push to the CRM from the attendee record. More on how capture works in Luminik.
How much lead retrieval costs: published prices
Checked September 27, 2026. We could not verify public, current-edition scanner prices for Money20/20, RSAC or Black Hat. The examples below come from industrial technology and medical events. Use them to compare licence structures, then get the order form for your event.
Examples and license scope
| Event and official source | What the listed price covers | Price (USD) and deadline |
|---|---|---|
| SEMICON West 2026, ATS | One LeadsPlus II app licence; 3-licence bundle; additional licence | $409; $549; $149. Portal prices checked September 27, after the September 11 early deadline. Earlier rates are not displayed. |
| ASMBS Annual Meeting 2026 | One app licence on your own device | $299 per licence. The public form lists no early or late price tier. |
| AAOS Annual Meeting 2027, Maritz SWAP | One activation, or 3 activations, for this event only | $470 or $645 through January 20, 2027; $540 or $705 afterwards. Extra activations are $150 for the same booth. |
SEMICON West runs October 13 to 15, 2026 and sells lead retrieval through ATS. AAOS runs March 3 to 6, 2027. Its prices are an upcoming-event comparison, rather than a 2026 purchase history.
Hardware and integration access are separate choices:
- SEMICON West 2026: MobilePlus scanner $419; iPad Mini Plus $499; developer kit $350. Confirm the kit’s fields, device limits and compatibility before choosing it.
- ASMBS 2026: device rental licence $399; developer API kit $995, purchased through Cvent’s exhibitor portal.
- AAOS 2027: handheld or tablet with one activation $625 through January 20, then $705; event API $1,155, then $1,370. Tax and a $9.99 processing fee are excluded; ordering through the online portal waives the processing fee.
Across these 3 USD examples, one app licence is $299 to $540, additional app access $149 to $299, rental hardware $399 to $705, and an API or developer kit $350 to $1,370. ASMBS charges the same $299 for each app licence; it lists no additional-user discount. These ranges describe this sample, rather than an industry average.
| Event | Provider | First published rate | Later published rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEMICON West 2026 | ATS, prices checked September 27 | $698 | $698 |
| AAOS Annual Meeting 2027 | Maritz SWAP, January 20 price deadline | $795 | $855 |
| ASMBS Annual Meeting 2026 | Cvent, one published rate | $1,196 | $1,196 |
For 4 app users, the calculation is $549 + $149 = $698 at SEMICON West, 4 × $299 = $1,196 at ASMBS, and $645 + $150 = $795 at AAOS before its deadline ($855 afterwards). That is $698 to $1,196 before tax and fees. The chart compares app-only options; a shared rental device is a different staffing choice.
International examples in their original currencies
| Event and official source | Licence or rental scope | Published price and timing |
|---|---|---|
| SEMICON Southeast Asia 2026, March exhibitor update | Web-based scanning, one user login; bundle of 2 logins | SEMI members: S$250 / S$450. Non-members: S$360 / S$650. Table says early rate by April 8; the surrounding notice extends ordering to April 15. Confirm which deadline governs the rate. |
| EWMA 2026, official lead retrieval guide | Stand-scanning app on your phone; additional licence | €240 + €120 per additional licence through March 27, 2026; €290 + €150 from March 28. API kit €1,500 for 5 devices. |
EWMA also offers a €650 package with 2 rented scanners for a symposium or workshop. That package must be returned after the session and does not cover general stand scanning. The currencies above are kept separate; no exchange-rate conversion is implied.
What to ask before you approve the order
- Device count: licences, named users and rented scanners may have different limits.
- Total charge: ask about tax, processing, custom questions, delivery and damaged hardware.
- Data access: get the export fields, API scope and data delivery date in writing.
- Deadline: AAOS’s 4-user app cost rises by $60 after January 20, 2027. The SEMICON West portal only shows its current rate, so we have not inferred the earlier saving.
What each route records
| Records | Official rental | Universal app | CRM-writing capture |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name, company, email | Yes | Badge or card | From the scan |
| Full registration record | Yes | With API | From the scan |
| Qualifier answers and rating | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Rep notes | Typed | Typed | Typed or voice |
| Match to CRM account and owner | No | Some apps | Yes |
| ICP or target-account flag | No | Some apps | Yes |
| Follow-up task in Salesforce or HubSpot | CSV or API | Some apps | Same day |
| Same app at every event | Per event | Yes | Yes |
The official rental wins on the record itself: the registration fields the organizer shares, which a badge photo cannot give you. The CRM-writing route wins on everything sales needs after the scan: account, owner, notes and next step. The two can run together, with the event’s scan feeding the CRM write.
When the lead reaches sales
- As you scan: Contractor portal or API. CMR and Maritz show leads while the expo is open. CMR's paid API sends each scan to your system in real time.
- Within minutes: CRM-writing capture. Luminik captures reach the web app within minutes, ready to push to Salesforce or HubSpot.
- Within 48 hours: Post-event data merge. CMR returns the full file within 48 hours of receiving your scan list.
- Within 14 days: Badge photos, handwritten IDs. Maritz uploads these after the event, with a data services fee.
- When someone imports it: The CSV route. Leads sit in a download until a person cleans, uploads and assigns them.
Timing examples use the ATD 2026 form and Restaurant Show 2026 Maritz form; these are separate from the price sample above.
“The leads from the tool wouldn't get exported until the end of the event, day number three. And then it may take a few days to map the data and then input it into our CRM, Salesforce.”
The scan is instant on every route. The gap opens between the portal and the CRM, and the 48-hour follow-up curve shows what those days cost.
Which route fits your booth
- 1 or 2. Then question 2: Does sales need the owner and next step in Salesforce or HubSpot the same day?
- No: Route 1, Rent the official app. 4 reps: $698 to $1,196 per event.
- Yes: Route 3, Send event scans to your CRM. Keep the official app; add the CRM write.
- Several. Then question 2: Does sales need the owner and next step in Salesforce or HubSpot the same day?
- No: Route 2, One universal app. Add $350 to $1,370 per event for full records.
- Yes: Route 3, Send captures from every event to your CRM. Use the same capture and CRM setup across events.
If the answer is route 1 for now, order before the first deadline and test the CRM import before the event, including notes and qualifiers as well as contact fields.
Getting booth leads into Salesforce or HubSpot
Whatever the route, 6 jobs have to happen before a lead is worth anything to sales.
| Job | Salesforce | HubSpot |
|---|---|---|
| Find the person | Match on email against Leads and Contacts before creating a Lead | Import matches contacts on email |
| Tie them to the event | Campaign Member on the event Campaign, with a status such as Visited booth | A list or segment for the event, plus an event property |
| Give them an owner | Lead or Account owner, set by assignment rules | Contact owner, set on import or by a workflow |
| Keep the booth notes | Task or activity on the record | Note or task on the contact |
| Book the next step | Task with a due date for the owner | Task with a due date for the owner |
| Credit the event | Campaign influence on the Opportunity | Deal linked to the contact, in attribution reports |
On the CSV route, the hand-off looks like this:
- Download the CSV from the contractor portal each evening of the event.
- Map its columns to CRM fields once, and save the mapping for the next event.
- Match on email against existing records, and merge instead of creating duplicates.
- Add everyone to the event Campaign in Salesforce, or the event list in HubSpot.
- Assign owners: the account owner for known accounts, routing rules for new ones.
- Copy action codes, qualifier answers and notes into a field the owner sees.
- Create the follow-up task with a due date, and check it was done.
“The event concluded on a Tuesday. We got everything in and we got it into sales hands by the Friday. Which isn't bad, but the sooner the better.”
More on the CRM side: Salesforce, HubSpot, Cvent and Swapcard.
Questions to ask exhibitor services before you order
- Who is the official lead retrieval provider, and when is the first deadline? Ask for the rates on both sides of the deadline.
- How many users does a licence cover, and can it move between phones? One phone per licence is common.
- Which fields does a scan return? Ask for the field list.
- Is there an API or badge kit for our app, and what does it cost? Without one, your app sees only the badge.
- Does scanning work without a connection? Hall Wi-Fi is weakest when the booth is busiest.
- How and when do leads reach us? A live portal, a CSV and an API are 3 different timelines.
- What did attendees agree to share? Maritz forms state that registrants agree to share details with exhibitors through lead retrieval. Check the terms for your event.
Where Luminik fits
Luminik is an event pipeline platform for B2B marketing and RevOps teams using Salesforce or HubSpot. It works with the organizer’s scan: from the lead retrieval app, the CSV or the API.
Each lead is matched to its account, scored against your ICP, given an owner, and written to the CRM with the booth notes and a follow-up task. The weeks before the event are covered too, and the pipeline that follows is counted against the event.
Book a 20-min walkthrough on your next event.
Lead retrieval FAQ
What is lead retrieval at a trade show?
The official badge scanning service at a trade show. The organizer appoints one contractor, such as Cvent, Maritz, CMR or ATS, and exhibitors rent its app or a handheld. Each scan returns the attendee’s registration record.
How much does lead retrieval cost?
The 3 USD examples here, SEMICON West 2026, ASMBS 2026 and AAOS 2027, list one app licence at $299 to $540, additional app access at $149 to $299, rental hardware at $399 to $705, and API or developer access at $350 to $1,370. 4 app users cost $698 to $1,196 before tax and fees. Each price applies only to its stated event and licence scope.
What information does a badge scan give an exhibitor?
The attendee’s registration data, plus the action codes, answers and notes your team adds. At ATD 2026 that was name, organization, mailing address, phone, fax, email and an attendee ID. Account fit, CRM owner and next step are not in it.
What is the difference between Cvent LeadCapture and iCapture?
LeadCapture is licensed by the organizer for an event run on Cvent, and you buy licences in its Exhibitor Portal. iCapture is Cvent’s capture app for exhibitors across events. Cvent says it works with more than 130 badge providers and sends leads to Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo and Eloqua.
What is SWAP lead retrieval?
SWAP is Maritz’s lead retrieval platform, used at the National Restaurant Association Show 2026 and AAOS 2027. You can run the app on your own phones, rent a handheld or tablet, or buy an API. Maritz also runs XPress Leads, which came from CDS.
Can we use our lead capture app instead of the organizer’s?
Yes. Without the event’s API or badge kit it only sees what the badge shows, and the 3 USD examples list that access at $350 to $1,370. Confirm fields, device limits and vendor approval before buying. On Swapcard events the organizer can enable a Leads API instead.
How do trade show leads get into Salesforce or HubSpot?
Usually as a CSV imported after the event, followed by matching, owner assignment and a follow-up task. Capture tools that write to the CRM do those steps as each lead is captured.
