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A better way to make connections
Conventions and conferences let people gather together
to find out what's new, meet one another to exchange information and make
new contacts.
How do you handle all this contact information?
The more successful your event, the more likely it is your attendees want
something a bit more helpful than an exchange of business cards.
By using a unique barcode for each attendee, you can
track them from the time they purchase a ticket, to registration or badge
pick-up, to follow-up after the event with electronic files of full contact
information for those they want to stay in touch with.
A Groqit is a small (pocket-sized) device that reads barcodes
and stores them in its memory in lists. It can be used to read these
unique barcodes issued to your guests for the duration of the event.
Exhibitors: You can assign (rent or loan) a Groqit to
anyone who displays or exhibits and is hoping to find new customers. Attendees
wishing contact present their badge for the exhibitor to scan. After the
event, exhibitors hand in their Groqits, and the barcodes they have scanned
tell you which attendees' contact information to give them. They
get an electronic file of full contact information for each of the people
who want to hear from them. Because a Groqit is very small, people who are
working the floor can also scan badges.
Guests: The data can also be used to offer each
of the attendees a full list of those who have accessed their contact information. This
serves the purpose of giving the attendees their own "Who I met" file, with
complete contact information. It reinforces the likelihood that future
contact will take place, as either party can now initiate a contact call
or email.
Groqit-based barcode event tracking compares well with the alternatives;
in simplicity, in ease of setup, and use. And it provides a much
more useful finished product (electronic files rather than piles of paper).
Cost, simplicity, ease of use: Groqits can be
used over and over. They
don't require plastic cards, imprinting machines, stacks of carbon paper,
electrical power, or any assistance from other devices. They only
connect to a computer after the event, when the data collection
is done. Creating, assigning and printing barcodes on event badges is a
minor additional expense, compared to alternatives. (Compare with Alternatives *,
below)
The Groqit Approach - turning barcodes into contacts
Groqits read basic UPC/EAN-type barcodes, and store the data on internal
flash drives (so they require no computer connections). UPC/EAN barcodes
are easy to print and very reliable. If each name-badge carries a
barcode, a quick scan is all that's needed to ensure future contact.
How Groqits can help with your convention or meetings
Registration
No one likes long lines while checking into a conference or meeting. Adding
a barcode to each attendee's confirmation allows people to check-in with
nothing more than a scan of the barcode.
Groqits are completely independent, fully-functional, battery-powered inventory
computers. They require no power, no network or wireless connection,
and require very little training to use. They have virtually unlimited capacity
(millions of barcodes). Because they have a built-in display, people
can see that a scan was performed correctly and either verify it against
an internal list or store the number for later use.
The USB flash drive is easily accessed by any computer and any operating
system. The data file can be copied for future use or attached to
an e-mail and sent to another location for post-meeting processing. (Compare
with Registration Alternatives **, below.)
After the convention
Because each Groqit has a unique ID number, they can be turned in to a
central point without any confusion. This simplification can reduce
the inevitable chaos during the break-down of a conference. Post-convention,
each Groqit can be plugged into a USB port on a computer, the ID and scanned
barcodes read, and the information passed to program that matches ID's to
vendors and barcodes to attendees. Because Groqits are small, they
can be mailed in by vendors who neglected to turn them in before leaving.
Post-convention, vendors want to contact attendees quickly and attendees
want contacts restricted to those companies they are actually interested
in.
Not only can each vendor be supplied with a clean, precise listing of all
people interested in their product electronically, each attendee can be
sent a reminder of the products and services that caught their attention. This
two-way handshake greatly increases the chance of a completed connection. Vendors
don't lose opportunities, attendees can verify the information they are
receiving was requested, and it can all be waiting when they get back to
work.
Clearing the data off of a Groqit is no more difficult than erasing a file,
leaving it ready for the next conference.
* Alternatives
Solutions range from plastic name badges that could be
run through imprinters to sign-up lists and asking attendees to fill out
forms. These approaches require data transcription, either from fuzzy
carbon copies or hastily scrawled handwriting. Data entry errors
can be a major problem. Imprinters are heavy, expensive
and many people are not familiar with the operation.
Magnetic badges could be used to eliminate transcription
problems. Magcards can be cheaply printed on paper, which is easily
damaged, or more expensively printed on plastic. But the machines
for reading them are expensive and require computer hookups. Magcards
are also subject to invisible damage due to stray magnetic fields.
2D barcodes printed on name badges offer a tempting approach. This
solution has the advantages of being simple and inexpensive to print and
can be read by web cameras or cellphones .
Disadvantages of the web camera: they require a computer connection and unique
software for each camera/operating system combination .
Disadvantages of cellphones: There is no universal "Cellphone Operating
System." Different brands have different OSs. Multiplying the large number
of cellphone brands is the constant turn-over in technology. Ensuring
that vendors receive the correct software in a timely manner,
for their
exact phone is nearly impossible. And what happens if you
don't even have a version for a vendor's phone? They are now left
out of the data gathering process.
**Registration Alternatives; downside of: Web-cams or
tethered barcode readers require computers to process the scan. This means
power and/or network connections at the registration desks. Portable
barcode readers have limited capacity and have to be dumped to a computer
when that capacity is filled. All of them require proprietary programs
for downloading. Even with good training, it can be difficult for people 'processing" your
attendees to use the equipment efficiently enough to avoid frustration.
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