What you'll have when you're done
A fully set-up MeetStack profile ready for your next event: your digital business card built, your scanning flow tested, and reminders configured so every lead gets a follow-up instead of getting lost in a drawer. Plan for about 15 minutes of setup now, then just a few seconds per card once you're in the room.
What You'll Need Before You Start
- MeetStack installed on your iPhone
- A LinkedIn profile URL and headshot handy (for your digital card)
- One physical business card to test the scanner with
- Your calendar app open, for scheduling follow-ups
- A Pro or Business subscription if you plan to use premium card themes or team features
Before the Event: Set Up Your Foundation
Step 1: Build your digital business card
Open the digital card editor and fill in your name, title, company, and contact details. Pick a theme — Classic, Midnight, Ocean, Sunset, Forest, or Slate — that matches how you want to show up. You should end up with a card you'd be comfortable sharing over QR code within the first minute of a conversation.
Step 2: Scan a test card to confirm accuracy
Grab any physical card you have on hand and run it through the scanner once before the event, not during it. On-device OCR should pull the name, title, company, email, phone number, and LinkedIn profile into a new contact within seconds. If something looks off, adjust lighting or angle now, when it doesn't cost you a real lead.
This is also a good moment to skim what good OCR actually delivers so you know what to expect from the scan quality, and to check how QR sharing keeps your digital card current if you plan to hand it out instead of paper.
During the Event: Capture Every Lead
Step 3: Scan every card the moment you get it
Don't stack cards in your pocket to scan later. Open MeetStack right after the exchange and capture it while the conversation is still fresh. This takes seconds and means you never end the day with a pile of cards and no memory of who's who.
Step 4: Record a voice memo while it's fresh
Right after scanning, tap in a quick voice memo: what you talked about, what they need, or what you promised to send. Aim for 15-20 seconds. This context is what turns a name and a title into a contact you actually remember three weeks later.
Step 5: Tag and sort as you go
Add a tag for the event, the lead's priority, or the reason you connected — 'hot lead', 'partner', 'follow up next week'. Smart contact organization means you can filter your whole event list by tag later instead of scrolling through every scan looking for the one that mattered.
After the Event: Follow Up Before You Forget
Step 6: Set a follow-up reminder for every new contact
Before you close the app for the day, set a reminder for each lead you want to follow up with — same day for hot leads, within the week for everyone else. This is the step most people skip, and it's the one that determines whether the event was worth attending. Read more on closing the loop after events if you want a sharper system.
Step 7: Review your event analytics
If you're on the Business tier, open your event dashboard to see total scans, tag breakdowns, and which team member captured which leads. Use this to spot which conversations converted and which follow-ups are overdue, then assign any that slipped through.
Common Questions
Common questions
Do I need to scan a card the same day I get it?
Not required, but strongly recommended. The longer you wait, the more context you lose, and the voice memo step becomes far less useful once the conversation is a memory instead of a fresh recording.
What if I collect dozens of cards at one event?
Scan each one as you get it rather than batching them at the end of the day. Tagging by event or priority as you go means you won't have to reconstruct who's who later.
Can my team see each other's scanned leads?
Yes, on the Business tier. Team collaboration lets everyone's captured leads roll up into shared event analytics, so nothing gets followed up twice or missed entirely.
Is a paper card still worth carrying if I have a digital one?
Some people still expect a physical exchange, so it doesn't hurt to carry a few. But your digital card and QR code cover the moments when paper isn't handy, and it stays current even after your printed cards don't.
For more on how the scan-to-follow-up flow holds up in real events, see how one networker turned a trade show card pile into real follow-ups, or browse the full checklist library for more setup guides.
This article was drafted with AI assistance and reviewed by a human editor before publishing.