Trade Show Giveaways That Work: Scratch Off Cards at the Booth
Use custom scratch off cards as a trade show giveaway that starts conversations and captures leads. Booth mechanics, sizes, quantities, and pricing explained.
What is the booth mechanic?
Simple and repeatable:
- A visitor approaches. Your team offers a card, not a pitch.
- They scratch at the counter, in front of you.
- The reveal names a tier. Your team redeems it on the spot from a prize table.
- While redeeming, the badge scan or contact capture happens naturally.
The card does the work of stopping traffic. Your team does the work of qualifying.
What size card should you print for a show?
The 2" x 3.5" mini classic card is the standard choice: it is our lowest cost per card, it fits a badge holder and a wallet, and it is the same trim as a business card, so it survives the trip home. If the card needs a longer prize legend or a QR destination with room to breathe, step up to the 2.75" x 4" small classic.
How many cards should you bring?
Base it on expected booth traffic, not total show attendance, then add a buffer:
| Booth traffic per day | Show length | Suggested run |
|---|---|---|
| 100 to 150 | 2 days | 500 |
| 200 to 300 | 3 days | 1,000 |
| 400 to 600 | 3 days | 2,500 |
Order the next tier up rather than running out on the last afternoon. Leftovers work fine as follow-up mailers and sales-call handouts, so unused cards are not waste.
What should the prize tiers be?
Structure the legend so nearly everyone wins something small and a few people win something worth talking about:
- One headline prize awarded once per show, announced at a set time
- Two or three mid tiers, branded gear, a book, a gift card you fund
- A common tier that still has value, for example a discount code or a free assessment
Fund the mid and common tiers generously and keep the headline prize honest. The card should never reveal a tier you cannot hand over.
Can visitors buy cards or pay to enter?
No. Nobody may buy a scratch off card or pay for a chance at a prize, because that makes it a lottery. Show giveaways are exactly that, giveaways. You supply the prize legend and any disclaimer or no-purchase-necessary language your legal team requires, and we print what you approve.
Should the reveal be Classic silver or full color?
Classic silver or gold is the right call for volume handouts: instantly recognizable, cheap enough to give away all day. Use a full-color reveal when the payoff under the panel needs to be a graphic or product shot, and plan on roughly 20% to 30% more than the same size in Classic.
What stock holds up on a show floor?
Standard 12pt C2S is the baseline and handles pockets, badge holders, and bags. If the card is doubling as a premium leave-behind for buyers, 14pt or 16pt on the cardstock weights page gives it more presence. For a card meant to be shown around the office afterward, foil and metallic accents are worth a look.
What does a booth run cost?
Mini classic starts at $365 for 250 cards, about $1.46 each, and per-card cost drops steeply with volume, reaching roughly $0.08 each at 25,000. There are no setup fees on standard orders and in-house layout is included. Current tiers live on the pricing page and a quote comes back within one business day.
How far ahead should you order?
Standard production is 7 to 10 business days after proof approval, plus shipping to the show or to your office. Rush production of 3 to 5 business days is available when the press schedule allows, but shipping to a convention center advance warehouse has its own deadline, usually two to three weeks before the show. Order four to six weeks out and ship to yourself, not to the hall, whenever you can.
How do you connect the card to your CRM?
Print a unique code per show or per segment, and log it with the badge scan. That gives you a clean count of cards distributed against leads captured, per show, without relying on booth staff memory. For teams comparing this against a tablet spin-to-win, we published scratch off cards versus digital spin to win.
Frequently asked questions
What size scratch off card is best for a trade show?
The 2" x 3.5" mini card. It is business-card trim, our lowest cost per card, and easy to hand out at volume.
How many cards should we order for a three-day show?
Roughly 1,000 for 200 to 300 booth visitors per day, and 2,500 for a busy booth. Extras work as follow-up handouts.
What is the minimum order?
250 cards, the standard minimum across every size we print.
Can attendees pay to play?
No. Charging for a chance at a prize would make it a lottery. Cards are giveaways only.
How early do we need to order before a show?
Four to six weeks. Production is 7 to 10 business days after proof approval, and advance warehouse deadlines often fall two to three weeks before the show.
Related guides
Share your artwork or use our Design-It-Yourself tools. We proof every job before printing. Orders ship in 7-10 business days.