With security at meetings
becoming an increasingly important priority, a number of new
technological innovations are being developed to help keep unwanted
visitors out of meeting rooms.
" One pricey option is Radio Frequency Identification, which
gathers information from a microchip imbedded in the name badge and
allows entry without the need to swipe. Skip Heymann, owner of New
York City-based Heymann Management International, LLC, an event
management firm, says RFID already is being used by corporate
security departments. Cost: about $10,000 for a midsize trade
show.
" Less expensive is the nTAG (
www.ntag.com), an electronic badge that uses
RFID to monitor attendance, do paperless polling, instant messaging
and a bevy of team-building activities. It can even transmit data,
such as mutual areas of interest, back and forth between wearers.
“It does what a really great host would do,” says George Eberstadt,
co-founder of nTAG, based in New York City. Cost: between $40 and
$100 per attendee.
" Low on tech but high on affordability is TEMPbadge Plus (
www.tempbadgeplus.com). Two stickers are bonded
together and affixed to the name tag. After an allotted period of
time, they change color, making it easier for security to spot
expired badges. Cost: As little as $43 per thousand