Why People Hate Your Event Name Tags + Ways To Make Them Better
Event name tags don’t have to be a “necessary evil.” They can be readable and effective. Here’s how to make better name tags people will like and wear. It starts by putting the focus on the main purpose.
Pity The Poor Attendees
As attendees move through a conference, association meeting, corporate event or trade show, they often don’t seem to know what to do with that thing flopping around their necks. It’s big, heavy, is always turned the wrong way and is festooned with so many ribbons and badges that attendees end up looking like prize livestock at the county fair.
When you look at the average event badge, it is crammed with:
Event logo
Name
Title
Company
Phone number
Website address
Social media handle
A cute personal saying
And … a large ribbon proclaiming “Attendee”
And, if that wasn’t enough, the type is often so small that you can’t read the person’s name! So let’s make them better.
Why People Attend Events
People attend events to learn from and network with like-minded people who share common interests. They come for the people, content and the experience!
In my blog article The Mad Men Guide to Networking Events, we talk about the purpose of any event is to give everyone permission to talk and to give them something to talk about. Name badges can provide the critical information for making a personal connection in a way that people can scan and use instantly. Or you can blow that opportunity by loading them down with too much stuff.
The Planner’s Perspective
Planners and organizers have a lot to do and a long list of people to please. The temptation is to make name badges do as many things as possible like:
• Market the event
• Offer sponsorship opportunities
• Perform audience segmentation
• Provide vendor support
• Facilitate meals & transportation
• Ensure basic Security
These things are all important but we should be very careful not to let our needs conflict with the main purpose of the name badges. Attendees on the move actually need very little information about other people. Everything else on a name tag is there to aid the organizers and planners.
Reinvent Name Tags
Let’s go back to the basics and reinvent name tags. Badges should be extremely simple to create, but most event organizers make them into an amazing ordeal for the staff and the attendees. Let’s start with the top three priorities and then get into the specifics.
1. Make the Name Large
I have a personal theory that the amount of networking and conversation is directly proportional to the size of the name on the tag. So make the individual’s name as large as possible. Remember, it’s all the attendees really care about.
2. Put It at the Top
Today, most cultures read horizontally and top to bottom, so put the name at the top. If you don’t put a logo or anything else above it, it takes less than three seconds to read and comprehend a name and a piece of relevant info. Help attendees scan and talk and you’ll instantly increase the buzz and excitement of your event.
3. Add Basic Security
Name badges offer a basic security tool and help make sure that only invited or registered attendees are allowed into sessions, workshops, trade shows and meals. The key is to make the security techniques clear, obvious and legible from a distance. So, again, keep things simple. Your security team should be able to scan a group of people flooding though the entry doors and quickly decide who belongs and who doesn’t.
Now, Stop!
Now stop and seriously question anything else you are considering putting on the name tags. How many of them are so important to the attendees that they have to carry them? Can you accomplish the same objectives in other ways? There are many other options so keep the badges focused on the attendees’ needs.
Answers To The Big Questions
What size badge do I use?
The name should be as large as possible and the name badge as small as possible. If you check the major suppliers, the average width of a badge is 4 inches. Unless you have a strong reason to go large, try the standard 4×3 size. It is the most comfortable for the attendees and gives the post options for using it.
What type size do I use?
You want to make sure that names are readable at about 6-8 feet. In a crowded hall or trade show, that’s about the farthest practical distance. The size of the type is determined by the width of the tag. Here are some guidelines for a 4-inch-wide badge:
• 45 point bold type – Arial Narrow, Frutiger, Garamond work well
• Three lines only
– Name on two lines
– Third line for other relevant info like company, job title, division, brand, etc.
– No type smaller than 18 point
• If you are using a hanging badge, print the information on both sides.
Where do I put any other information?
Put the event banner, logos or security information at the bottom and keep them small. The people who need them will find them and they won’t distract anyone else.
How do I handle security and audience segmentation?
My favorite technique is to color-code the badge and the text. You want to quickly identify attendees to security, vendors and staff. Make the attendee names a color. You need to identify trade show vendors. Put a simple color bar at the bottom of their badges. With three colors of text and three bar colors, you have nine combinations. That should be plenty for almost any event.
Pin On or Hanging Badge?
Wow – this seems to be a big, big question! I am not a big fan of hanging badges and lanyards. Over the past few years, we’ve all watched them get bigger and heavier. Remember, a name badge shouldn’t be a backpack you wear around your neck!
Planners and organizers like hanging badges because they can cram so much on them and in them. But attendees hate them for the same reasons. Do you really want to have your attendees spending most of their time staring “below the waist”? My suggestion is to make the comfort and convenience of the attendees the major consideration. Remember, there is a big difference between what they need to maximize the experience of the event … and other things that we think might be “cool.”
Magnetic Badge Holders
I really recommend magnetic badge holders. They come in standard sizes, look more professional and are much more practical. Your attendee can place the badge where it’s most comfortable and convenient. It can be high and near the person’s face, which makes conversation easier. And it doesn’t poke holes or leave marks on clothing.
The only caution is that magnets may interfere with the performance of pacemakers. Since only about 3 million people in the entire world currently have a pacemaker, this should be a minor issue that’s easily handled by having an additional badge option.
The Name Is The Game
That’s all there is to it. As you plan an event, remember that the most successful events create a sense of community and stimulating conversation. So rethink name tags for your next meeting from the attendee’s perspective. Make their needs your first priority. Make the names large and easy to read, and list only the most important information.
