Sixteen:Nine Mixer Goes Crazy And Actually Uses Tech At Tech Event

November 20, 2023 by Dave Haynes

The Sixteen:Nine Mixer at DSE has been going on in various fashions and places since 2009, and in all that time I have mused about how there had to be a better way to handle check-in and giving attendees badges that help introduce and connect them with others at the event.

Kiosks have been the obvious solution, but I have never really got my act together to put that together. We almost had that sorted a year ago, but my technology partners were next-level hopeless.

Industry vet Ed Crowley and I have spoken for many years about getting a solution together, but while he was eager to help, I was lotsa talk and little or late on tangible actions … until this year. We chatted at InfoComm and resolved to ACTUALLY pull it together.

So … instead of several tables at reception laid out with 400 or so pre-printed thermal shipping labels that have attendee names and their companies, there will be a table with two countertop kiosks on them that arriving attendees can walk up to, boink the screen to enter their last name, confirm, and send a command to a built-in printer that will spit out the label. They’ll then grab a badge blank and lanyard from the check-in team – my wife Joy and her sister Sue, who have been helping me for years and are happily compensated with glasses of Malbec.

This set-up should greatly speed check-in and actually show technology in action, at a tech event! I know, crazy …

Historically, I have printed out 100s of labels ahead of time, sorted them all alphabetically, and then on the day, Joe and Sue painstakingly lay them out on tables and politely deal with people whining that the layout should have been right to left, or left to right. Or something.

Crowley’s company URway Holdings and its solution brand URway Digital are providing the turnkey, countertop kiosks and partnered with Kioware to develop the overall user experience, accessibility and kiosk management. They’ve also made sure everything works, even with consumer-grade Dymo printers that spit out labels like the mound of them generated for a past event. A huge thank you for providing this self-service solution.

The mixer at ISE will also have a couple of kiosks for check-in – which will be especially handy because the entry area for that Barcelona venue is kinda cramped, so speeding people through check-in will minimize attendee log jams. Miguel Fonseca and his team at Braga, Portugal-based DISPLAX are going to help me with that.

We’re also noodling some sort of networking/education event for Porto, Portugal, the week after ISE. Portugal has a very healthy tech community and two of the best queue management/display solutions out there come from Portuguese firms. More details if/as that idea firms up. I’m going to work in Porto for a week, since I’m over that way anyway, it’s winter and I’m Canadian, and that part of the world appeals to me waaaaay more for extended retirement getaways than Florida ever will.

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