What’s in a Name Badge?

I have some experience with events in the last 16+ years; some as an attendee, an exhibitor, a hosted buyer, and even as the event host myself. Every event has some version of a name badge to identify their participants. Whether for access reasons, safety reasons, QR code scanning reasons, continuing education unit (CEU) reasons, interpersonal relationship reasons, or others, the name badge has been an event staple for years. Lately, it seems like the name badge has taken on a life of its own.

Long gone are the days when you wrote your name on a “Hi, my name is…” name tag, followed by the death of the pre-printed 3″x2″ clear plastic pin-on first and last name badge. You know, the ones that ruined your dress shirts. I have received some name tags lately that could have made their own appearance at a crafter’s convention. They certainly weighed more than a small house pet. Some need an attendant to carry them behind you like the train of a dress. Have you seen these?

The lanyards, which I’ll save for another day, can be so thick everyone can see the advertising from a mile away, or are fully blinged-out so they glisten in the exhibit hall light.

Name badges not only have your name on them but may also include your city, state, organization, title, registration QR code, shoe size, and hair color. Just kidding on the last two, but lately the name badge is more like an advertisement for personal space invasion than relevant information. Not only your information on one side but they may also contain a full conference schedule on the back as well. When done right, the name badges can feel as useful as the handbook itself.

To add to the name badge experience there are stick-n-stack ribbons – these little items can make your name badge long enough to trip on. Don’t get me wrong, I think they can be adorable in moderation. They can identify your credentials, distancing comfort level, help you identify with another person for networking purposes, or say something funny about you, but when they’re stacked one on top of the other, it looks ridiculous when someone walks up to talk to you and looks down at your knees to read what your name badge is saying about you.

As with anything related to organizing an event, ask yourself, how does this meet the goals and objectives? What do we need the event name badge to accomplish? Does it just need to be an identifier or do we need it to scan attendees into a meeting room? Does it need to make a statement or serve a function? It is up to you to decide.

How do you use your event name badge? Share your opinion here or send me an email!
I’d love to hear your stories.

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