Badges? We do need some stinking badges . . .

Last week at the Comventures Connections Summit I was impressed and relieved when the name badge I was issued listed my name in a large font with bold letters:

CHRIS

GOOGLE

No, I haven't changed my last name from Sacca. Instead, a conference organizer finally got smart about optimizing standard issue laminates for their intended purpose – to actually facilitate introductions and dialogue.

As someone who attends dozens of confabs a year, I am continually frustrated and amazed by the absurdly small fonts and minimization of participant company names on name tags. I keep each of them I have ever been issued, and as I thumb through the stack, the consistency of hard to read print across them almost seems conspiratorial.

I don't want to sound insincere or shallow on this point. However, when I am at a networking event, its hard to make conversation on the basis of someone's last name alone. “Gutenstein, eh? I had a Gutenstein in my first grade class. Well, he wasn't so much in my class as my younger brother's . . .”

Instead, the most salient discourse is going to result when you and I have an inkling of what the other does for a living. We can certainly segue from our business underpinnings into any number of fulfilling topics. However, the fact you work at Facebook, or Wired, or SONY gives us a lot to talk about right off the bat. If I don't recognize your company name, maybe I will stop to ask out of curiosity. Either way, it gets us off on a productive foot.

So, please, conference hosts, let's put big bold letters on badges. Thanks!

Comments

[Andrea Arria-Devoe]

Um, hello? I finally checked back on my blog after a six month hiatus and I saw your message. So, you turned into a big tech geek?

[John Rudkin]

Chris

Hi. I called your office and was given your address. Can you help me?

I am the eCommunity lead in Blackpool UK, the famous (!) seaside town (Las Vegas of Europe??? - well, not quite).

http://www.bcp-ltd.co.uk/masterplan.html

There is a lot happening here, but my email to you addresses the following:

I'm in San Francisco 11- 14th July at an Apple HE Summit, but would love to meet someone to talk (as briefly as needed) about the SF wireless initiative.

Background:

Blackpool: 140,000 population, (I said 5 million visitors per year in my email, but that was wrong) 14.5 million visitors per year and most famous for seaside, cotton candy, entertainment, Blackpool Tower, the No.1 tourist spot in UK - our Pleasure Beach, Blackpool Illuminations 7 miles of lights which extends its 'season' into November.
Currently undergoing a 25 year regeneration plan (see link above)

Wireless Connectivity:

We already have what we believe is the largest metropolitan wireless network in the UK. Lots of places are shouting about what they will do. We did it 18 months ago. We just do not tell anyone. The reason, its a secure network for vulnerable children:
See: http://www.notschool.net and http://www.thecademy.net
We are about to open it up. Its an 80mbs uncontended symmetrical (the important bit) with 70 nodes (each capable of supporting many users). At the moment it serves 70 transient families in the area.

I'm intrigued to pick your brains about the 'free' model and the way you will make it work behind the scenes. We want to beef up the offering and then roll out in a similar way, but we are doing this on a shoestring really. In 2007 we want to put AT LEAST 500 familiies onto the network. The rest is about making the best of what we have, but ideally we'd like ubiquity.
Once Blackpool's regeneration gets underway, however, and if as we expect we get the UKs first and only Super Casino there will be a huge opportunity here. Fancy the chat?

I hope this posting to you is OK? If this ends up appearing on your blog (?) I'll find out, so I guess it'll be an advert for the most switched on town in the UK today - period.

John

See also:

www.blueiris.info
homepage.mac.com/johnar

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