Focus on the Value of RFID

Many subscribers appreciate the value of our products and renew their subscriptions every year. But it's sometimes a challenge to convince new readers of that value. They read so many free trade publications that don't offer value, so they find it hard to understand our magazine provides the kind of detail that can really save them time and money.

Similarly, many RFID events have promised a great deal but delivered very little value. That's why most events, including one last week, have seen such dramatic declines in attendance. While our events continue to grow, some end users are skeptical when we say that if they attend RFID Journal LIVE! 2007, they will gather enough good information to save them time and money researching RFID applications.

Going through the agenda for LIVE!, I count more than 20 sessions where a representative of an end-user company will present a case study involving a project that delivered real business value. Many other sessions will discuss how to actually design and deploy applications that deliver value. (If you are skeptical when I say our events are the only ones growing, view a list of some of the companies that have preregistered for LIVE! by clicking here.)

There are also RFID applications that will not deliver an ROI today, and I know many of our speakers will be honest about that, too. If RFID Journal can help you save money by not going down a dead-end street, we have provided a valuable service.

With so much noise in the marketplace—sometimes, it seems as if every RFID vendor is saying the same thing—it's hard to know exactly which vendors are delivering value and which are pretenders. But if you follow in the lead of end users who have already implemented successful RFID systems and go with the vendors that have a proven track record, you will be able to use the technology internally or across your supply chain to generate real business benefits. And that's what it's all about.

Mark Roberti is the founder and editor of RFID Journal. If you would like to comment on this article, click on the link below.