Tech Support: Is RFID the Answer?
Making Information Systems Work for You

The meeting-planning process has a multitude of moving parts, and technology has long played a role in supporting the needs of planners and suppliers. New technologies continue to emerge and enable meeting professionals to do their jobs in better ways. The right solutions can help us get things done with more efficiency, with greater effectiveness and at a lower cost. However, the wrong solutions can cause us to work harder and longer at greater expense to accomplish less.

As Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) makes its way into our industry, it’s important for us to view this significant new capability in relation to our specific planning process goals and objectives.

RFID could be the hottest new technology to hit the meetings industry since online registration debuted in the mid-90s. But what exactly is RFID?

It’s a technology system that includes a tiny transmitting chip (called a tag), a reader and a computer with software for managing data. The reader sends a request for identification information to the tag and the tag sends its programmed data to the reader, which passes it along to the computer for processing. The tag and reader communicate with one another over a radio frequency channel. The link between the reader and the computer could also be wireless, making the transfer of data from the reader to the computer almost instantaneous and seamless.

So what does this mean for you and me? It means we have a new technology that is becoming ever more affordable, giving us yet another method to collect valuable information that could help us in innumerable ways. But information in itself is not the Holy Grail, unless it provides us with what we want or need. It is of little value unless it answers our questions.

Nick Topitzes, president of pc/nametag ( www.pcnametag.com), proposes that before planners run out and equip their meetings with RFID, they should first decide what data they want to gather and for what purpose. Michel Côté, president and CEO of Laser Registration ( www.laser-registration.com), a provider of RFID solutions, agrees.

“RFID brings added value because it facilitates access to more pieces of information in a relatively non-invasive manner,” Côté said. “But, does the planner need all of the data that can be gathered? What truly are the needs of the meeting stakeholders?”

RFIDs embedded into nametags with fairly close range readers (less than 15 feet) are the most obvious initial implementation for meetings. This gives meeting organizers the ability to track the movements of attendees as they enter rooms, exhibit halls, trade show booths and other meeting venues. Some useful applications include attendee session tracking for continuing education unit verification, credential authorization for accessing Internet kiosks and even instant table identification on a viewable screen for attendees as they enter a banquet room. Other immediate uses are for lead generation at trade shows, with RFID replacing the older PDF417 scanners, smart-card swipers or (do I dare suggest?) paper business card exchanges. A vendor prospect need only walk into a booth to be recognized and recorded for later follow up.

Most of these and similar “feel good” uses for RFID technology are only the proverbial tip of the iceberg. Côté thinks the real sweet spot for this information-gathering technology is what happens to the data after the conference. Post-event analysis of attendee participation, demographics and trendsetting can provide information strategic planners need to shape and mold future events. RFID in itself is nothing without the back-end data crunching that follows, and the results are only useful if they address specific needs. It is incumbent, therefore, for the meeting owners to ask the strategic questions ahead of time so they can determine what data needs to be gathered.

This concept suggests the necessity of a required service level that must accompany utilization of RFID technology. In its current stage, this is not a do-it-yourself technology. Your RFID provider or informed consultant should help you determine what information you want to obtain and how it will be used, making sure that the outcome maps to solid return on investment. The plan should also identify the best kind of tag, appropriate transmitting range, placement of readers, back-end data management, reporting and integration with other applications. Attendee privacy issues must also be addressed (and we will deal with this and related issues in a future column).

At best, a successful RFID implementation will be the outcome of careful planning and professional execution. It will add value for the attendees by delivering enhanced services, for the trade show by facilitating buyer and supplier connections and for the meeting organizers by providing pertinent data for improved meeting planning, management and communications. At worst, a badly planned RFID implementation will do nothing more than add layers of work and expense in order to gather information that winds up in an administrative black hole.

RFID could be the answer to your information gathering needs and will add value on many levels. It could be the exact solution that you require, but as with any technology, ask yourself the right questions before you invest.

JEFFREY W. RASCO, CMP; CORBIN BALL, CMP; and RODMAN MARYMOR, CMP, are principals of Tech3 Partners, a consultancy focused on providing solutions to diverse technology issues that impact meeting professionals. With nearly 70 years of combined experience, Ball, Marymor and Rasco are internationally known for their contributions to the meetings industry through technology consultation, speaking and writing, and all are active members of their MPI chapters. For more information, visit www.tech3partners.com. They can be reached at partners@tech3partners.com.