How to scan business cards at Big 5 Global 2026

Before the show: a five-minute setup

1. Create a CardFlow Expo account and install the app (Google Play on Android, or add to home screen from Safari on iPhone).
2. Open Scan and, under “Which exhibition are you visiting?”, pick Big 5 Global 2026. It becomes your active exhibition, and every scan is saved under it (the “Saving to” bar shows where).
3. Do two test scans at home, including one Arabic or bilingual card, to see how the review screen works.
4. Check your plan: the free plan includes 10 card scans and 10 AI extractions per month. If you expect more meetings, upgrade before you travel.

Scanning a card step by step

1. 01

   Open Scan and frame the card

   Place the card flat on a plain surface, fill the frame and avoid glare from the hall lights. Photograph the side with the contact details.

2. 02

   Let CardFlow extract the details

   OCR reads the text and AI extraction suggests the name, company, job title, phone, email and website fields.

3. 03

   Review before saving

   Check every field, especially Arabic names, phone numbers and country codes (+971 for the UAE, +966 Saudi Arabia, +968 Oman, +974 Qatar, +965 Kuwait, +973 Bahrain). Extraction is not perfect, and a wrong digit breaks the WhatsApp link.

4. 04

   Use the exhibitor suggestions

   When you type or check the company name, CardFlow suggests Big 5 exhibitors from the official list. Picking one fills only the empty website, country, hall and stand fields; it never overwrites what was read from the card.

5. 05

   Add the note that matters

   Write the product, quantity, project or city, and the next step you agreed. If the hall and stand are not filled in, add them (for example “Hall 7 · 7D301”) so you can find the stand again.

6. 06

   Save and move on

   Save the contact and hand the card back or keep it in one pocket for scanned cards. The whole thing takes under a minute once you are used to it.

When the hall signal is weak: offline tips

• In the CardFlow web app, you can still capture a card photo or a visitor’s details while offline. They are saved in a local queue on that device.
• Text extraction (OCR and AI) does not run offline. It runs when you sync the queue after reconnecting, and you then review the result as usual.
• Sync from the offline queue at lunch and before leaving the venue. Do not clear browser data or switch phones before the queue is empty.
• Carry a power bank: camera use and weak signal both drain the battery.

Organizing contacts by hall and sector

Big 5 is spread across many halls, and the official directory groups exhibitors by product sector. Recording both in your notes makes it easy to filter later and to brief colleagues. This table, counted from the official directory, shows where sectors cluster:

• Use one consistent note format: “Hall · stand · sector · product · next step”.
• Look up a company’s stand and listed sector on the exhibitor list page before or after the meeting.
• Export the contacts as CSV after the show if your plan includes export (Pro and above).

• Big 5 Global 2026 exhibitor list (search by hall, sector, country)

At the end of each day

1. Sync any offline captures and review pending scans.
2. Merge duplicates: the same person often gives a card twice, or a colleague scans the same visitor.
3. Mark the contacts you promised to follow up and send those messages the same evening.

• Follow-up playbook with WhatsApp and email templates