Mar 09, 2011RFID Journal announced today that it will host an RFID-Enhanced Social Networking preconference seminar at RFID Journal LIVE! 2011, the world's premier conference and exhibition focused on radio frequency identification and its many business applications. The seminar, sponsored by ODIN, will be held on Apr. 12, 2011, and will focus on one of the hottest RFID applications for manufacturers, retailers and marketers interested in capturing the attention of tech-savvy consumers. This year's LIVE! event will be held at the Orange Country Convention Center, in Orlando, Fla., on Apr. 12-14.
ODIN, a leading supplier of RFID solutions and a pioneer in the RFID-enhanced social-networking space, will explain how to set up an RFID system to ensure consistent and accurate interaction with customers, as well as gain understanding about how to create a successful social-media experience. Patrick J. Sweeney II, the company's president and CEO, will explain how RFID combined with social media has proven itself to be a valuable asset for improving customer engagement and managing interaction, while strengthening brand loyalty.
The preconference seminar will also feature end users that have successfully applied RFID technology to enhance their customers' social-networking experience.
Vail Resorts was among the first businesses to employ RFID to enhance social-media experiences (see Vail Resorts Links RFID With Social Media). Robert Urwiler, the company's CIO and the system's architect, will explain how visitors to Vail's five mountain locations are using their RFID-enabled lift tickets to connect with each other via social-media tools, as well as track their ski or snowboard metrics over the Internet, thereby earning virtual pins and competing on vertical feet and days skied.
ASICS, a manufacturer of athletic shoes and technical active sports apparel and accessories, discovered an innovative method for enhancing brand awareness, based around the New York City Marathon. Tom Sullivan, a principal at Vitro, the advertising agency that developed the campaign, will outline how his firm successfully encouraged supporters to create personalized messages for those taking part in the race, to be triggered by RFID tags.
Jeff Sommers, the owner of Izzy's Ice Cream Café, will describe how his company utilizes RFID to inform customers about its ever-changing menu of flavors, with updates available in near-real time on the company's Web site, which it promotes through Twitter and Facebook (see RFID Finds Flavor at Izzy's Ice Cream Shop).
"RFID truly brings a new dimension to the social-media experience," Sweeney says. "Companies and marketing firms that pay per click or for 'likes' are not getting users at the time of engagement, and so they miss out on very valuable opportunities to manage the right people at the proper time for their brand. It's a chance to leverage their virtual world and extend their brand, while deepening engagement. RFID is a unique standards-based technology that enables users to engage at the time that an event is happening—it's very sticky."
ODIN is creating a social-networking application that will allow LIVE! 2011 attendees to log in to their Facebook accounts and share their experiences at the event in real time, or to take a photo that will then be posted online so that friends and family members can see what they are doing at the conference.
RFID Journal LIVE! 2011 is the ninth annual conference and exhibition produced by RFID Journal. The event will feature eight industry-specific and level-of-expertise conference tracks, eight in-depth preconference seminars, three colocated events, fast-track CompTIA RFID+ training and certification, the RFID Journal Awards and the RFID in Apparel Workshop, as well as numerous technology exhibits and demonstrations conducted by the leading technology firms.
