The Name Badge of the Future Is Here - technology that improves upon meeting nametags
Insurance Conference Planner

Byline: Corbin Ball, CMP

Humans are social animals. We love to mingle at meetings and trade shows, to network and share ideas.

But the tools used to facilitate that networking have left something to be desired - until now. The standard name badge is frequently forgotten, poorly printed, or worn in a way that can't be read. People forget, or run out of, business cards. A number of technology developments that are now available are taking the lowly name badge to a whole new level.

SmartBadge www.smartbadge.com

Every registration badge has a large, unique "watermark" number visible from a distance. When you pick up your badge, you will be given a mini-PDA (personal digital assistant) about the size of a credit card. The mini-PDA contains registration contact information for as many as 1,000 attendees.

If you see someone from a distance and want to know their name, you simply enter his or her badge number into your mini-PDA and up will pop the basic badge information (name, company, city/state). If you wish to exchange additional information with someone, he or she can give you an access key number: five or six digits that will unlock additional contact information on your mini-PDA. Connect the PDA device to your computer and download all the contact information into your contact database.

These simple PDAs are inexpensive (about $15 to $20 each), and the attendees can take them home. The PDAs have room on the back for corporate advertising that can offset the purchase costs.