Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How many trade shows does CardBrowser gather business cards from each year?
The number of trade shows that we gather business cards from grows every year. In 2011 we expect to attend approximately 300 ore more trade shows globally.
How does CardBrowser compile the trade show calendar of events?
First we carry over all events from the previous year. Then our research staff finds new events listed in dozens of high-tech periodicals, on software and technology company websites, in online tradeshow directories, and other industry resources that we utilize.
Can a customer request a trade show not listed on the calendar of events?
Yes. Customer requests are another way that we compile our event calendar. Each year we acquire business cards from many tradeshows that are requested by CardBrowser customers. The only criteria is that it must be a “high-tech” tradeshow that falls in to our market focus.
How does CardBrowser acquire business cards from trade shows?
We have vendors (suppliers) located globally who sell us business cards that they gather from high-tech trade shows.
In addition to “exhibitors”, does CardBrowser have business cards from “attendees”?
We only have business cards from the exhibitors / vendors. There are some exceptions, for instance federal technology trade shows where it is common for the federal agencies to have exhibit booths staffed by buyers and contract officers.
What are the most popular titles in the CardBrowser database?
C-Level Executives i.e. Chairman, Founder, CEO, President
Senior Management i.e. GM, EVP, SVP, Vice President
Sales Positions i.e. VP of Sales, Director of Sales, Business Development, Pre-Sales / Systems Engineer, Channel Sales, OEM Sales, Federal Sales, Account Executive
Marketing Positions i.e. CMO, VP of Marketing, Director of Marketing, Product Marketing, Product Management
Technical Positions i.e. Network Engineer, Software Engineer, Architect, Practice Manager, Implementation Consultant, Project Manager
Do people know that their business card is in the CardBrowser database?
Some people do, some people don’t. We acquire business cards from our vendors who are at trade shows networking and collecting business cards like most of the exhibitors and attendees who are there. Every business card is volunteered to our vendors – or left out on a table top for anyone who wants their business card. We expect that our vendors do not lie, steal, or otherwise manipulate people or do anything unethical to obtain business cards.
Why do people volunteer their business cards at trade shows?
Tradeshows are the perfect place to collect business cards. Most people exhibiting at trade shows routinely hand out their business cards to anyone who asks for it (and often times to people who don’t ask!). Some people place stacks of business cards in their booth for anyone who wants one.
Do people request to have their business card removed from the CardBrowser database?
Very few people ask to be removed from the CardBrowser database. But we comply with all requests. Some times when people learn that we have a specialized tech industry database used for finding partners, alliances, key industry contacts etc., they decide to remain in the database.
Does CardBrowser delete old business cards from the database?
No – our contacts are too specialized to delete any. We date-stamp and archive every card. That way a customer can search for cards by date (last 30 days, last 90 days, last 12 months, etc.) to find what they are looking for. Or they might choose to download contacts and use an e-mail validation tool if they only want active email addresses. But an old card is not a dead contact. Someone who was handpicked to represent their company at a tradeshow two years ago may still be with the company – and thus be an even more valuable contact. Someone else from a tradeshow two years ago might be a company founder or c-level executive who is still likely to be with the company. Business cards often contain contact information that outlives a person’s employment-like a mobile phone or remote office phone number. Business cards are also a great way for our customers to research new companies-even if the contact person is no longer there. It is also easy to use Google, LinkedIn and other sources to cross-reference CardBrowser contacts. So for these reasons we do not delete business cards. But if you are looking for fresh new contact information, then keep in mind that CardBrowser collects and uploads fresh new business cards every week – from hundreds of trade shows every year.
