Mar 19, 2007Shortly after I launched RFID Journal (we celebrated our fifth anniversary on March 1), I interviewed Kevin Turner, who was then Wal-Mart's CIO (he since went on to run Sam's Club and is now chief operating officer at Microsoft). I asked Kevin about Wal-Mart's interest in radio frequency identification and why it was being so aggressive in supporting the development of the Electronic Product Code (EPC). His response: "We need to keep innovating faster than our competitors keep steeling."
That notion has stuck with me as I've built my own business. We continuously strive to innovate and provide what our audience needs, even before our readers and event attendees know they need it. This year, for instance, at RFID Journal LIVE! 2007—our fifth annual conference and exhibition—we are improving not just the quality of the content, but also the experience. Specifically, we are introducing two new features that I have no doubt will make the time and money attendees invest in coming even more worthwhile.
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The first innovation is RFIDconnect, an online networking system powered by EventMingle. RFIDconnect lets you set up meetings with the exhibitors providing products that interest you, the speakers presenting on subjects relevant to your situation and other attendees interested in the same topics you are, or who have indicated they plan to attend the same sessions you plan to attend.
Exhibitors can use RFIDconnect to search for all attendees interested in the products they offer, and to send e-mails through the system to those attendees and speakers who have indicated the products they want to research at the event. Vendors can also post press releases online, and we have an Event Announcements page on the RFID Journal LIVE! Web site.
The system has a lot of capabilities. It can create a daily planner, for instance. As our event has grown, it has become harder for people to meet the people they want to meet, and this tool will address the issue nicely. (For more details, see RFID Journal Launches RFIDConnect Networking Tool at RFID Journal LIVE! 2007).
The other innovation is a tool enabling attendees to listen to the presentations they missed as they watch the PowerPoint slides. In the past, we've posted all the slides for the attendees, but looking at a PowerPoint file is not as powerful as listening to the actual presentation and watching the slides move automatically at the precise pace at which the speaker originally advanced them.
Taken together, these two features will greatly enhance the experience for both attendees and exhibitors. If there are two great sessions you want to see at the same time, you can attend one and hear and see the other when you get back to the office. And if you use RFIDconnect to set up a meeting, and that meeting runs long, you won't have to cut it short to attend a session—simply log on later and see and hear the presentation at your convenience.
I hope you will take advantage of these great new features—and benefit from the unparalleled conference agenda we have put together this year. It should be an exciting—and productive—event. I look forward to seeing you in Orlando, April 30 to May 2, at RFID Journal LIVE! 2007.
Mark Roberti is the founder and editor of RFID Journal. If you would like to comment on this article, click on the link below.
