Apr 11, 2017I have been to a number of events that give out awards, including journalism events, and I have always found these ceremonies a bit disappointing. Unless you are a finalist, who cares whether Joe Smith or Kathy Drew wins for Best Humor Columnist? That's why, when we created the RFID Journal Awards, I wanted the finalists to speak.
The whole point of giving out awards is to highlight great RFID deployments. We want other companies to learn from these great RFID projects, and to deploy the technology in a way that benefits their business. What better way to highlight a successful project than to have the finalists present at our events?
This year, we changed the award categories to make it easier to compare projects within the same industry. So instead of the judges trying to determine, say, whether a real-time location system that cuts the cost of managing mobile medical equipment or a retail solution that improves inventory accuracy and customer service was better, we created Best Health-Care RFID Implementation and Best Retail RFID Implementation categories (as well as separate categories for manufacturing, supply chain and "other").
Some finalists are still working out whether or not they can attend, but I am pleased that the following speakers have already committed to present about their project at RFID Journal LIVE! 2017:
• Jeffrey Hensley, VP of hospital operations, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
• Ali Erdinç Koroglu, technology and innovation manager, DIA Holding FZCO
• Davin Leon, product manager, Ternium
• Fernando Baracaldo, senior technology manager, Mario Hernandez
• Rafael Rapp, business operations manager, LATAM SC OPS, HP Brazil
• Jason Philpot, manager, Honda Manufacturing of Indiana
• Paulo Bortollotte, IT director, Onis Data Solutions
• Basil S. Jeffers, JWST lead parts engineer, NASA
• Joshua Edewards, program manager, Delta Air Lines
• David Leach, CFO and treasurer, Houston Forensic Science Center
• William E. Johnson III, senior board technologist, Heraeus Noblelight America
• Cameron Worth, founder, SharpEnd Agency
I am sure that we will confirm a few more soon. Finalists hail from around the world, and it makes me proud that some come from as far away as Korea and Hong Kong to speak at the conference and receive their award.
I hope you will attend LIVE! this year so that you can hear from the people who have led some of the best and most ambitious RFID deployments. You may learn a few things from those in your industry, but even those in other sectors will offer insights that could help you avoid costly mistakes or find unexpected hidden value in an RFID system.
See you, and our award finalists in Phoenix, May 9 to May 11.
Mark Roberti is the founder and editor of RFID Journal. If you would like to comment on this article, click on the link below. To read more of Mark's opinions, visit the RFID Journal Blog, the Editor's Note archive or RFID Connect.
