Do you want to get your event off to a fast start with a great badge? When set up properly, badges can convey a lot of information in a relatively small amount of space. They can be crucial for networking and gaining access to sessions and events. Take care to create badges that work; review our list of tips and tricks for crafting the perfect conference badge below.
- Names should be printed in a large, sans-serif font, with first and last names on separate lines. Attendees should be able to glance at a badge and immediately locate the name. Make it easy for your attendees to meet new people—this is what events are all about!
- Include a “First Name for Badge” or “Nickname for Badge” field in your registration form. Often, people prefer to be addressed by their nickname, but won’t enter it as their “First Name” when filling out a registration form. Give your registrants the option to display their preferred name on their badge and save them from having to tell everyone they meet.
- If it is a business event, you should almost always have the company/organization name on the badge. If the attendees are traveling to your show, then their origin (city/state/country) is a terrific topic for conversation. It will also be a helpful way for attendees to differentiate who they meet—especially if their new acquaintance has a common first name!
- Images should enhance and not detract from the badge. The badge should be about the attendee; try to avoid filling it with logos and graphics. A cluttered badge makes it difficult to pick out the pertinent information.
- Consider adding a QR code to the badge. Mobile apps can put these codes to many great uses. Exhibitors can use QR codes for lead retrieval. You can use QR codes to quickly and conveniently track attendance at sessions and events. Finally, attendees can use these in their mobile attendee app for social networking.
Great online registration software can make it easy to do all the formatting needed to make your badge the best it can be. Good software will know when to use the first name or nickname. Also displaying a location properly can be tricky. For example, if you have a small international contingent for a U.S. meeting, you may want to show city and state for Americans, but the country name for those from abroad. Only the best badge printing software can handle all these special cases without you have to manually intervene.
