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RFID to keep tabs on NPE2009 attendees
By: Tony Deligio
RFID- (radio frequency identification) enabled badges will allow exhibitors to monitor the “attendee journey” of show visitors through their booths at NPE2009 (June 22-26; McCormick Place, Chicago).
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“Using a real-time reporting tool, exhibitors will be able to track attendee interests and behavior,” explains David Soto, VP partnerships at technology supplier AllianceTech (Austin, TX). AllianceTech supplies the RFID technology and will be working with show-registration firm Experient Inc. (Twinsburg, OH) on implementing the badges at McCormick—a first for NPE. 
RFID readers can help both exhibitors and attendees. |
“Attendee journey” is Soto’s phrase for how visitors interact with a company’s booth or stand, displaying the concept of “duration” within an exhibit. “In essence, we can interpret a visitor’s interest in a particular product or service at NPE2009 based on how long he or she stood in front of an area,” Soto says.
Smart badges, smarter exhibitors
Exhibitors interested in the technology can contract with AllianceTech to station RFID readers throughout their stand. In the presence of an RFID badge, these readers are activated and record a number of variables detailing a showgoer’s booth visit, including time spent in front of certain machines. In addition, a notification can be set to alert exhibitors if attendees fitting a certain profile enter their booth, sending e-mail notification when someone with a specific job title or employer walks into a stand, for example.
The badges do not send out any personal information, like names or e-mail addresses, with that data only gleaned from attendees who offer their badge to booth staff. “The RFID tag will not transmit any attendee data whatsoever,” Soto stresses. “The only information in the RFID tag is an electronic product code that’s married to a registration record in our reporting server so we can understand who the attendee is.”
In addition, attendees must opt-in for an RFID badge. Soto says that attendees increasingly sign on for RFID badges, noting that since it launched the technology in 2006, opt-out rates have dropped from 8% to just under 1%.
AllianceTech has employed the technology at events with as few as 100 attendees up to 150,000, serving clients like IBM, Dell, Cisco, Philips Healthcare, and Motorola. In addition to e-mail alerts, the system offers integration with customer relations management (CRM) software, a web-based reporting portal, mobile devices with keypad, lead prioritization, customized qualification surveys, and cross-event metrics. In practice, it allows exhibitors to see: how many visitors a booth had and their average visit time; what top clients and prospects were interested in; and what attendee interests are based on demographics like job function, geographic region, industry, and company size. Soto says several exhibitors have expressed interest in the technology and are strongly considering using it at NPE2009. —tony.deligio@cancom.com
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