Stephen Nold

What is RFID?
August 15, 2007

In a recent technology research project, our online tech publication MeetingTechOnline, interviewed meeting professionals about their use of various technologies. RFID solutions were one of the least used tools, yet 68% of all respondents considered it an ‘up and coming’ technology trend of interest.

RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification. In the Meetings Industry, RFID is used to manage attendee traffic and to collect data about attendee preferences. RFID is especially helpful at monitoring continuing education units(CEUs) and has also been used as a method of lead retrieval. The software tools behind RFID are used to produce both live and post-event traffic reporting and session statistics.

How it works

RFID systems are often substitutes for event systems that rely on barcode scanning or card swiping. RFID systems have two parts: tags and receivers. The ‘tags’ are actually small radio chips which are embedded in show badges and include unique identifying information for each attendee. The receivers can be any of a wide range of devices which are set up near doors and throughout an event to collect information from the tags. When an attendee passes in range of a receiver, his or her information is transmitted to a central computer and database. From this database, event management is able to track session attendance in real time, and attendees can collect education credits instantly. Exhibitors can also use this system for instant lead retrieval.

Benefits and Costs

RFID reduces the need for staff at individual sessions. The detailed post-event metrics gathered by an RFID system are invaluable to event management. It also allows for faster and completely unobtrusive data collection; attendees can just walk right into a session rather than waiting in lines to check-in. Unfortunately, with RFID there is no paper trail and no instant notification of errors should the system malfunction. Also, many attendees have privacy concerns and are uneasy with the knowledge that their movements are being monitored. RFID technology is also more expensive than the more traditional barcode scanning or card swiping systems.

While RFID does have its drawbacks, it can provide a much smoother event experience for both organizers and attendees. This technology is advancing rapidly with continued functionality improvements and significant price reductions. In the future, RFID solutions will add great value and ROI to events. This may be the basis for the high interest of RFID technology among meeting professionals.

To learn more, read the in-depth MTO article about RFID technology.

Posted by Stephen Nold on August 15, 2007 | Comments (0)