Official lead retrieval costs
What trade show lead retrieval really costs.
Official lead retrieval is rented per device, per show. The device price is the start of the bill, not the end of it. This page totals the real number.
What organisers charge for official lead retrieval
- $250–$700
- per device, per show, typical published range
- × every rep
- one device scans one badge at a time
- $0 after
- the rental ends when the show does
Published prices, from the order forms
Taken from exhibitor manuals and lead retrieval order forms, checked September 2026. Onsite rates run higher than these advance prices.
| Show or organiser | Product | Advance price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ATD International 2026 (US association congress) | Handheld scanner rental | $495 | rises to $545 onsite, before tax [Source] |
| ATD International 2026 | Scanning app, first device | $350 | extra devices $150 each; API access $990 [Source] |
| National Restaurant Association Show 2026, Chicago | Scanning app, 3 activations | $579 | extra user $149; API $950; badge-image leads arrive 14 days post-event for a data fee [Source] |
| AAOS Annual Meeting 2027, Las Vegas (medical) | Scanning app, single activation | $470 | handheld rental $625; API from $1,155 [Source] |
| IEEE ICRA 2026, Vienna | Stand scanner rental | €525 | API option €870 plus €1.55 per scanned lead [Source] |
| Central Plains Dairy Expo 2026 (US regional) | Official app licence | $249 | 3-pack $499; handheld rental from $499 [Source] |
Prices are the organisers’ published advance rates at the time of checking and change by edition, and onsite rates run higher. Treat the table as the shape of the market, and check your show’s exhibitor manual for this year’s number.
The device price is not the price
One device scans one badge at a time, so the rental multiplies by your team, then again by your season.
The advance rate on the order form. Miss the deadline and the onsite rate is higher.
Each person scanning needs a rental. The stand pays per device, not per stand.
Nothing carries over. The rental, and the data access, reset at every show.
Official lead retrieval for 5 reps across 3 shows: $3,750 to $10,500. MeetZaa Business for the same: $447 (3 × $149).
Calculate your cost
Put in your team size and show count. Every figure below comes from the published range above.
Range: $250–$700 per device at advance rates, from published exhibitor order forms checked September 2026.
Starter key: $99/show for up to 5 reps. Unlimited meetings.
This compares cost, not capability. A badge scanner reads organiser badge data that MeetZaa does not; MeetZaa captures the conversation, outcome and follow-up that a badge scanner does not. Many stands use both.
What the money buys: a badge, not a conversation
A badge scan returns registration data: name, company, title. What the buyer asked for, what they need by when, and what your rep promised is not in the export, because the app was never built to hold it. Every exhibitor at the show gets the same fields about the same visitor.
The conversation is the part that decides whether they order, and it exists nowhere else in the world but at your stand.
The alternative: one key, whole team
MeetZaa is priced per show, not per device. One key covers your entire team.
Questions about lead retrieval costs
More on ownership and timing in what happens when the organiser owns the app.
How much does trade show lead retrieval cost?
Official lead retrieval is rented per device, per show. Published order-form prices at major shows run from about $250 to $700 per device at advance rates, with API access at $950 to $1,400 and higher prices onsite. A five-person stand pays per device, so one show commonly runs $1,250 to $3,500 before kit, integration or data fees. The alternative model is a flat per-show licence with the team included, which is how MeetZaa is priced, from $99 per show.
Why is lead retrieval charged per device?
Because one device scans one badge at a time, so a stand with several people scanning at once needs several rentals, each billed separately. Costs rise with your team size, not with the value you get, and they reset at every show because the rental ends when the show does.
Do I still need the organiser’s lead retrieval if I use MeetZaa?
Sometimes, and it is fine to use both. Only the organiser’s official service can read the barcode on show badges, so if badge scanning matters at a particular show, rent one scanner for it. MeetZaa captures the part the badge never holds: the conversation, the outcome and the follow-up, from business cards and booked meetings, in a record you keep after the show ends.
What does a lead retrieval export actually contain?
Registration data from the badge: name, company, title and contact details, plus any quick qualifiers your rep tapped. What the buyer asked for, what was promised and what happens next is not in the file, because the app was never built to hold it. That is the difference between a contact list and a lead list.
Can I use both a badge scanner and MeetZaa at the same show?
Yes. Rent one scanner if you need to read attendee badges, and use MeetZaa for everything a badge does not hold: the conversation, the outcome, the follow-up. The two complement each other and MeetZaa does not depend on the organiser.
What is cheaper for a five-person stand: lead retrieval or MeetZaa?
MeetZaa. One Starter key is $99 for the whole team. Five lead-retrieval devices at advance rates typically cost $1,250 to $3,500 before API or integration fees, based on the per-device prices in the table above, and you pay again at the next show.
Price one real show, for nothing.
One event, two reps and your first 20 meetings, free with every feature on. No card, no device rental.