The real question isn’t paper vs digital
In events, a card is just a handoff. What matters is whether you can follow up with context. The fanciest card is useless if you never reach out again.
Paper cards: pros / limits
- + Universal: no app, no battery, low friction.
- + You can annotate: quick notes on the spot.
- - Needs capture: scanning/typing introduces errors.
- - Often incomplete: missing email, outdated info.
Digital cards (QR/NFC): pros / limits
- + Cleaner data: fewer typos, faster capture.
- + Updatable: profiles can stay current.
- - More friction: network, compatibility, QR failures.
- - Still no context: identity is not the conversation.
Field recommendation
Accept both. Invest your energy in a post-event system: capture → one context line → schedule follow-up.