Yes, it’s usually okay to go to a networking event without business cards, as long as you can hand over your contact details in a few seconds another way. A QR code that saves your contact, a shared contact file from your phone, or a LinkedIn connection made on the spot all do the job. What looks unprepared isn’t the missing card. It’s fumbling for a pen.
Some fields and some countries still expect paper, so know which room you’re walking into.
The case for skipping cards at a networking event
The strongest argument for skipping cards is that networking is about the conversation, not the swap. Writing in The Next Web in 2011, Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten argued that networking “shouldn’t be about the quantity but quality of the connections you make”.
His advice: work out how you can help the other person instead of talking about yourself. With no stack of cards to hand out, you’re less tempted to treat the room like a distribution job.
Paper cards also get left in jacket pockets and hotel rooms. Details saved straight to someone’s phone don’t.
The case for bringing them
The best argument for bringing cards is that some people still want one and judge you if you can’t produce it. A 2016 Fortune piece by William Vanderbloemen listed arriving without cards as one of the ways to bomb a networking event, because “people want a card, and it’s one of the only concrete ways to ensure they remember you.”
That piece is a decade old, and phones have changed how people swap details. The point still holds, though. A saved contact in their phone is concrete too.
When paper business cards still matter
Business cards still matter most in industries and regions where exchanging them is part of the ritual. An ASBMB Today careers article from 2019 gives a useful by-situation answer for early-career people.
| Situation | Bring paper cards? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Industry job hunting or sales | Yes, or a solid digital option | Cards are the norm in industry, per ASBMB Today |
| Science policy, patent law, freelancing | Yes | ASBMB Today names these as fields where cards help |
| Academic postdoc or faculty search | Optional | Cards are “less useful in the academic world”; an advisor’s endorsement counts more |
| Events in East Asia and parts of Europe | Yes | ASBMB Today: cards “are the norm” there |
| Casual meetups, startup events | Optional | A QR code or phone contact is usually enough |
My take: for a formal industry event or business in East Asia, bring paper. Everywhere else, a digital card you share in two taps is better, because it lands in the other person’s contacts instead of a drawer.
How to share your details without a business card
The fastest no-card method is one that puts your contact straight into the other person’s phone. These run roughly fastest to slowest.
- Show a QR code. Keep a QR code for your digital card on your phone’s lock screen or a saved photo. The other person scans it with their camera and taps save. Our guide to using your phone as a digital business card covers the setup.
- Share your contact from your phone. On Android, Google’s Contacts help says to open the Contacts app, tap Your info, then Share. The recipient gets a VCF file, the standard contact format. Google also lists Tap to Share with a nearby Pixel 6 or newer phone.
- Connect on LinkedIn. Search their name and send a request while you’re still talking. The ASBMB author did a version of this, asking each new contact to visit her LinkedIn page.
- Text them. Ask for their number, then send a one-line text with your name and where you met. Now you both have each other’s details.
Event signal is often bad, and that breaks anything that loads a web page. If that worries you, read how to share a card when there’s no signal before you go.
What to do when someone hands you their card
Take it, look at it, and capture it before you forget. Fortune’s advice still works: snap a picture of the card and tell the person you’ve saved it on your phone.
Turn it into a real contact that evening. Our walkthrough on following up after a networking event covers what to send and when.
Where QRCard fits
QRCard is one way to have a no-card option ready. You get a profile at your own address, like qrcard.in/c/you, and a downloadable QR code. The person who scans needs no app, and the Save Contact button gives them a .vcf file for iPhone or Android Contacts.
On the Pro plan, Mutual Exchange lets the person scanning send their own name, email, phone and a short note back, so the swap goes both ways.
Limitation: any QR-based card needs the other person to scan and save it, and the page needs a connection to load. A paper card works with no phone, no battery and no signal. Keep a few in your wallet for formal events.
FAQ
Is it unprofessional to not have a business card?
Not by itself. What looks unprepared is having no quick way to share your details. If you can get your name, number and email into someone’s phone in a few seconds, most people won’t miss the paper.
What do I say when someone asks for my card and I don’t have one?
Say you’ll send your details right now, then do it: show your QR code, share your contact from your phone, or ask for their number and text them. Doing it on the spot is what counts.
Do I need business cards as a student?
It depends on the field. ASBMB Today notes cards are less useful in academia, where a referral from your advisor matters more, but still the norm in industry, science policy, patent law and freelancing.
How do I share my contact details from an Android phone?
Google’s Contacts help says to open the Contacts app, tap Your info, then Share. The other person receives a VCF file they can save to their contacts.