Sep 07, 2020When we were forced to postpone this year's RFID Journal LIVE! conference and exhibition from April to September (see RFID Journal LIVE! Postponed Until September 2020), and were then forced to cancel the face-to-face event altogether (see RFID Journal Cancels LIVE! 2020, Announces Immersive Virtual Event), I knew it would be a blow to both the solution providers that depend on the event for new business, as well as companies looking to learn how they can use radio frequency identification and other Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to cut costs, streamline processes and solve specific business issues.
We immediately started looking for a platform that could enable us to deliver many of the benefits of a live event over the Internet. We considered six platforms in depth before settling on one that would give us what we need to deliver value to LIVE!'s attendees and exhibitors. Eventually, we chose one we really like to host RFID Journal Virtually LIVE!, which will take place on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. If you visit the event's website and click on "Agenda" in the top navigation bar, you will see that we have a terrific program in store—one that features many of the same end users that had planned to speak in April (see Registration Now Open for RFID Journal Virtually LIVE!). These include:
- Blair Korman, Senior Manager for Digital Identification and Traceability, Johnson & Johnson Supply Chain
- Tony Wilson, Head of Asset Management for BAE UK , BAE Systems
- Joseph Todaro, Senior VP for Planning, Allocation and Merchandise Operations, Tommy Hilfiger
- Tom King, Project Manager, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
- Denis Pinto, Purchasing Executive, Volkswagen Brazil
- David Diachidos, Chief of Laundry and Linen Service, Jewish General Hospital
- Dr. Yung Liu, Senior Nuclear Engineer and Packaging Certification and Life Cycle Management Group Manager, Argonne National Laboratory
- Alexsandro Elói Venancio, RFID Product Owner, Havan Labs
There are many other great speakers already confirmed for Virtually LIVE!, and the platform also allows us to hold open discussion groups in which attendees can interact with one another. There will be at least four of these:
Retail and Apparel Discussion Group
Wednesday, Sept. 30: 1:30 to 2:00 PM EDT
RFID in Aerospace, Aviation and Defense Discussion Group
Wednesday, Sept. 30: 1:30 to 2:00 PM EDT
Health Care Discussion Group
Thursday, Oct. 1: 1:30 to 2:00 PM EDT
RFID and IoT in Brazil (Portuguese-Language) Discussion Group
Thursday, Oct. 1: 1:30 to 2:00 PM EDT
In addition, the event will offer a virtual exhibit hall in which attendees can visit exhibitors from around the world. We are working to post a list of companies that have already committed, but I can say that attendees will have the opportunity to search for products, download spec sheets and brochures, and pose questions to some of the major players in the industry. They'll also be able to ask questions live and participate in video chats in booths. Some exhibitors plan to host demonstrations via Zoom and other video-conferencing systems.
An online event cannot replace all of the benefits of attending a face-to-face conference. But we feel, given the travel restrictions currently in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, that this is a good option for the global community of RFID and IoT users, sellers, distributors and researchers. We hope to see you (virtually) there.
Mark Roberti is the founder and editor of RFID Journal.
