Apr 16, 2012RFID Journal's events are well-executed, and it's not often that things do not go according to plan. So I was quite surprised that as we finished up the RFID Journal Awards presentations at last week's RFID Journal LIVE! 2012 conference, I was interrupted on stage.
"Excuse me," someone said, clearly speaking into a microphone. "Excuse me." I looked out into the audience, but the lights shining on the stage made it difficult to see anyone. One of our audio-visual guys must be having an issue, I thought.
Stan and Chris invited industry veterans—both solutions providers and end users—to join us on stage for a group photo (see next page). I was extremely surprised and touched by the tribute. You can view a video of the presentation here.
I humbly accepted the award, but as I said at the event, I am proud to be a part of the RFID industry. And I must acknowledge that I hardly deserve all the credit. We have a great editorial team. Paul Prince, our executive editor, manages the RFID Journal Web site and assigns all news stories. Andrea Linne, our features editor, edits the magazine and all premium content. Debbie Hughes, our editorial director for events, and Debbie Lambert, her assistant, recruit all of our speakers. Kim Ray, our VP of events, and Cheryl Johnson, our director of events, do a tremendous job organizing all of our conferences. And our sales team, designers, reporters and everyone else are second to none. It has been my privilege to work with such a great team during the past 10 years.
During that time, it's been my privilege to write many case studies about RFID deployments implemented by forward-thinking end users, as well as stories about innovative RFID solutions developed by technology companies. I've had the opportunity to interview smart, courageous individuals who pushed their firms to deploy what, until recently, had remained a relatively new and unproven technology. And I've had the chance to meet geniuses who can bend radio waves to their will, or turn serial numbers into business value via their software.
Of course, there's the business side to running a media company, and that hasn't always been easy. Perhaps the toughest time came following the financial collapse, when many marketing budgets were cut, hugely impacting RFID Journal's revenue. But during that time, I focused on the journey: where we, and the RFID industry, had come from—and where we were headed—bolstered by my belief in the many benefits that the technology can provide.
I thank the many wonderful people whom I've met, and the many friends I've made for recognizing RFID Journal's contributions. I look forward to working with you during the next decade, as we help myriad businesses and organizations worldwide leverage this powerful technology.
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.
