What trade show lead capture really costs in the UAE: badge scanner, app, or game
For three shows a year, a mainstream lead capture app such as Momencio or iCapture costs roughly AED 22,000 to 29,400, according to the 2026 prices those vendors publish and the BoothBuzz page cites (Momencio around USD 6,000, iCapture around USD 8,000 per year), converted at AED 3.6725 per USD, gamification extra. A badge scanner is typically licensed per show, and BoothBuzz is AED 300 per day, which is AED 2,700 for three shows of three days.
Prices change, so check each vendor before you budget. The lowest line is not always the lowest cost, because the hidden bill is the staff time spent typing up cards after the show. This page puts the options in one AED table so you can swap in your own number of shows and days.
The cost table: three shows a year
The example below assumes three shows a year of three days each, nine show days in total. Replace both numbers with your own.
| Option | How it is priced | Three shows a year, in AED | Hidden cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business cards in a bowl, or a clipboard | No fee | No fee, but staff time | Hours typing up cards and emails afterwards, misspelt addresses, no consent record |
| Organiser badge scanner | Typically licensed per show, check your exhibitor manual | No figure here: check the exhibitor manual for each of your three shows | A licence for every show; badge data only, with limited fields |
| Momencio, published 2026 pricing per the BoothBuzz landing page | Around USD 6,000 per year, gamification extra | Roughly AED 22,000 per year (USD 6,000 x 3.6725) | Gamification is an extra |
| iCapture, published 2026 pricing per the BoothBuzz landing page | Around USD 8,000 per year, gamification extra | Roughly AED 29,400 per year (USD 8,000 x 3.6725) | Gamification is an extra |
| BoothBuzz | AED 300 per exhibition day, no set-up fee, no licence, no per-lead fee | AED 2,700 (3 shows x 3 days x AED 300), an example | The prize is your own cost |
How the sums work
The BoothBuzz figure is an example, not a quote. A three-day show is 3 x AED 300 = AED 900. Three of them are 3 x AED 900 = AED 2,700. Add or remove a day and the total moves by AED 300.
The app figures are per year, so for this comparison the number of shows does not change them. Spread over three shows, AED 22,000 divided by 3 is about AED 7,300 per show, and AED 29,400 divided by 3 is AED 9,800 per show. The fewer shows you do, the more each one carries.
Three cautions. BoothBuzz is our product, and the competitor prices come from our own landing page, so confirm them with each vendor before you decide. And an annual platform may include features a rented game does not, so compare what you get as well as what you pay. Finally, the table leaves out the prize, the printed QR materials and the staff time on the stand, which you pay for whichever option you choose.
The result is a simple pattern. A scanner is priced by the show, an app by the year and a game by the day, so the best fit depends on how many days a year you stand on a show floor and how many of those visitors you want to reach.
The hidden cost: typing up cards
Take a fishbowl or a clipboard. After the show, someone has to turn handwriting and business cards into a spreadsheet. That is staff time, and it often lands in the week you most want your team following up. Emails get misspelt, handwriting can be illegible, and cards can go missing between the stand and the office.
We will not guess an hours figure or an AED value for you, because it depends on how many cards you collect and what an hour of your team costs. Count it for your last show and put your own number in the table.
There is also a consent gap. A card in a bowl and a name on a clipboard come with no consent record, so you have nothing to point to if someone asks how you got their address. This is practical guidance, not legal advice. Our comparison of a business-card fishbowl and a QR game covers the same trade-off side by side.
What you cannot buy with a scanner
A badge scanner is a fair tool for visitors who already stop. On the landing page comparison it gives only badge data, in limited fields, and four things sit outside it that the table above does not price.
Custom questions. A badge scanner gives you badge data in limited fields. Check your exhibitor manual to see whether yours lets you add questions. In BoothBuzz the visitor answers your own questions before they play, so the lead arrives with answers you can sort on.
Opt-in. Check your exhibitor manual for the consent terms that apply to scanned badge data. Each BoothBuzz lead is saved with a consent record noting which wording the visitor saw, when they agreed and on which device. A separate marketing opt-in starts unticked, in line with UAE PDPL and GDPR-style practice, and the data belongs to you.
Engagement. The landing page comparison describes a badge scanner as asking nothing of the visitor, which is why many walk past. Trade show gamification guides quote CEIR numbers for gamified stands: a +40% lift in lead generation and +42% longer dwell time. The BoothBuzz landing page adds up to 20x more contacts than a business-card fishbowl, which is a ceiling and a target, not a guarantee. We have not measured any of this at your show.
Repeat visits. This is where the spend turns into networking. A stand chat often begins with a staff member stopping someone who did not ask to be stopped. A game turns that around. Visitors register before they play, so your team member already knows a name and can start with the result: "You are third on the board, can you take the top spot?" Because the board is live, a visitor who drops a place has a reason to return, a beaten rival is a reason to fetch a colleague, and the prize draw puts you in front of a crowd. Each name on the list also carries the time it was added, so your follow-up email can point to a specific conversation.
What you get for AED 300 per day
For that fee, visitors get a branded 60-second game in their phone browser, with nothing to install. They scan your QR, fill in name, email, mobile, company and your questions, tick the consent box, play, and watch their rank land on a live leaderboard on your stand TV. You choose Gem Rush or Flip Match, and the games section on the BoothBuzz site shows both. The BoothBuzz home page has the full picture, and how BoothBuzz works walks through a visit from scan to download.
Your dashboard lets you export the leads as Excel, CSV or PDF whenever you need them. Ordering happens on printonline.ae, and the game is usually ready within 24 h once you have sent your logo, two colours, the prize line and the questions you want asked.
Print the QR where people stop. A counter stand or an acrylic counter card with the QR facing the aisle works well, and you should check current price and lead time on each product page.
Run both, not one against the other
The cleanest budget is not scanner against game. Keep the badge scanner if your show offers one, add the game for the visitors who may otherwise walk past, and look at the lead list from each. Our guide to a badge scanner versus a lead capture app goes through the trade-offs in more detail.
FAQ
How much does a badge scanner cost to rent at a Dubai exhibition?
Badge scanners are typically licensed per show, and your exhibitor manual has the terms and any price. Check it before you budget.
How much does a lead capture app cost per year?
On published 2026 pricing cited on the BoothBuzz landing page, Momencio is around USD 6,000 per year and iCapture around USD 8,000 per year, with gamification extra. At AED 3.6725 per USD that is roughly AED 22,000 to 29,400 per year, so confirm current prices with each vendor.
Can I run a badge scanner and a game at the same stand?
Yes. Use the scanner for visitors who let you scan their badge, and the game for those who may otherwise walk past. The game adds your own questions, a consent record and a live leaderboard that brings people back.
What does BoothBuzz cost for a three-day show?
AED 300 per exhibition day, so AED 900 for a three-day show, with no set-up fee, no licence and no per-lead fee. Three shows of three days is AED 2,700 as an example.
Once your budget sheet is filled in, rent Gem Rush or Flip Match for the days you need, with the pricing open beside it.