ABCey’s #TechTuesday: Top 5 Smart Badges for Your Next Event!

#TechTuesday highlights the best and brightest ideas in the tech world. Technology is designed to make our lives easier, especially as event planners. With an innovative smart badge, you are able to make things much simpler for attendees, exhibitors, and yourself! Today’s #TechTuesday features a list of amazing smart badges we LOVE!

Why use smart badges?

Smart badges can simplify your event by promoting deeper networking connections between attendees, or by providing a simple method of sharing and exchanging contact information. They can also give event planners access to foot traffic and real-time analytics for their events. Exhibitors can benefit by easily sharing access to information to attendes, and can determine which guests are valuable prospects.

1. RFID Badges and LED Tech

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JficYgaK8j8

With the addition of smart LED tech, you can enhance any attendee’s experience! Whether it’s a lanyard or a bracelet, it will come alive and you can decide when. You can choose to light it up at a specific moment, signal an upcoming segment, or set up to interact with sensors, too. You can see them in action in the Coldplay concert in 2016 featured above!

2. SmartTrac by Hubvents

SmartTrac benefits all. For exhibitors, it notifies them when potential prospects enter their booths. How? With an analysis of attendees’ profiles and behavioral attributes! Moreover, attendees receive and event journey report that includes all their connections, booth visits, and more. Event planners can get an overview of foot traffic and interactions to see which attractions were most popular and for future improvement.

3. eventBit by Experient

EventBit has many features your guests will love! We’re all guilty of checking Yelp to look for recommendations.. EventBit can do that for you, but for booths you’d enjoy based on your preferences. In addition, it provides networking opportunities for attendees based on matching interests. Goodbye to awkward small talk! When the event is over, your guests can receive links to access information relevant to their event journeys.

4. Proxfinity

Unique features of Proxfinity are the options to brand the badge and to program a specific topic of interest! This will elicit conversations that sponsors and clients intended for the event. Event planners love that Proxfinity provides useful metrics! It includes meaningful interactions made per person, connections between demographics, topics that drive connections and conversations, and much more!

5. LiGo by Limefy

Like eventBit, this badge signals to guests when someone with mutual interests are in close proximity with flashing lights. Now your guests can spend more time engaging in meaningful connections! Guests are able to easily exchange contact information with each other with a personalized timeline. Additionally, attendees are able to access exhibitor and fellow attendee portals with a messaging platform available if they want to contact them!

Will you use smart badges?

We love smart badges, and we hope now you do too! Are there any that we missed? Will you be using any of our smart badges at your event? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook or Twitter! If you’d like to see our past #TechTuesday blogs, click here.

Startup Monday: Operator, Message to Shop!

Startup Monday is ABCey’s weekly post that features some of the best and brightest companies in the Bay Area. They are often companies that we have our eye on, or have worked with in the past & would like to share with friends and followers of ABCey Events!

Who doesn’t love online shopping? At ABCey, we’re loving Operator, a messaging app that helps you shop created by Uber cofounder Garrett Camp and former Zynga exec Robin Chan! It combines the best parts of brick-and-mortar and online shopping. This app gives you the expert personal service you’d expect from an in-store employee. But, it doesn’t lock you into shopping at just one physical location. Operator also offers the convenience of shopping from anywhere, anytime via your phone. Operator can even handle the heavy research you might want to skip or not be qualified to do. Afterwards, the annoying checkout experience is handled as well.

Operator Overview

It all starts with a message. Then, you’re directly connected you to a network of shopping expertise that will find the best products. You can request almost anything and best of all, the service is free. Operator will take in mind price ranges, problem-related solutions, and even recommendations? Well, that’s not what we usually hear nowadays when shopping online. The closest we get to getting recommendations when shopping alone online is through the reviews.

After deciding what you want, Operator also takes care of the billing process with no extra charges. Easily track your packages and ensure that your packages arrive! Also, if you need to return or exchange anything, message the Operator and they’ll be there to help.

Start shopping anywhere and anytime! If you’re planning on using this convenient shopping app, let us know in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter.

TechTuesday: The 9th Annual Crunchies Awards!

#TechTuesday highlights the best and brightest ideas in the tech world. ABCey would like to recognize these up and coming technologies for their innovative ideas and impact on the event world!

The 9th Annual Crunchies are here and just in time for #TechTuesday! For those of you that aren’t familiar, The Tech Crunchie Awards are the tech world’s equivalent to The Oscars. This award ceremony will take place this upcoming Monday, February 8th, 2016, and it will recognize the greatest technological innovations this past year has seen! ABCey has highlighted the top 5 best new tech startups for this weeks #TechTuesday! Congratulations to all of the nominees!

1. EAZE

The Eaze app is a quick and professional medical marijuana delivery service that has partnered with legally permitted dispensaries to provide patients with lab tested medication that is delivered fast and efficiently. Medication ranges from flowers, edibles, concentrates, and more!

WHY WE LOVE IT: Eaze utilizes it’s advanced technology to automatically assign drivers once the order is complete, so that your delivery is as sufficient as 10-20 minutes after purchase! Not to mention, their dispensaries are open earlier and later than most to provide their users with the most efficient convenience!

2. HONOR

For your loved ones that need extra care, Honor is the app for you! This app is centered around family and comfort, and it supplies the best & most skilled caregivers to your family’s home, while giving you the convenience of scheduling and monitoring their care from virtually anywhere! Caregivers can assist with meal prep/groceries, transportation, check in visits, personal care/hygiene, and the list goes on!

WHY WE LOVE IT: Not looking for a commitment? With Honor Care there are no long term contracts, and care can be scheduled by the hour, and paid by the hour! As well, this app does all of the work for you! The stress of screening and interviewing will be left in the hands of Honor for your convenience.

3. JET

Jet’s free membership does not come with a price, but more so with a savings! Literally, this app has created a marketplace that enables users to watch every dollar being spent, and provides smart choices and options to get the most for your money. Home goods, automative supplies, and even groceries- this app has made shopping simple and convenient!

WHY WE LOVE IT: Who doesn’t love saving money while spending money? One of the many perks of shopping with this app is JetCash! Jet customers that want to switch it up and shop from a different store just need to skim through the Jet Anywhere Retailers list and find the brand of their choice. The money spent at these websites will go towards your next JetCash purchase, all you need to do is forward your confirmation email of purchase to anywhere@jet.com!

4. OPERATOR

We’re past the days of dialing zero to get some assistance! This free messaging app is the equivalent of a personal shopper. Operator is available 24/7 and provides quick and helpful responses to meet users needs! For all of the men that are struggling to find their loved one something special for Valentine’s Day, look no further! Their staff will be glad to assist you and match you with the perfect gift!

WHY WE LOVE IT: From your local store to an exotic country, regardless of the location delivery is made to be easy! With the in-app tracking, Operator’s systems monitor your order around the clock and provide estimated delivery times and shipping updates for your convenience!

5. ROBINHOOD

Commission fees can be aggravating especially when you’re already dabbling with the buying and selling of stocks! The Robinhood app recognized this and created a stock brokerage that offers commission free trading for all of its users! Sounds too good to be true? Robinhood has raised $66 million from several different outlets so that they can make their predominant focus on building lasting experiences for you versus the short-term profits!

WHY WE LOVE IT: Robinhood’s Card feature provides guests with updates that cover basic account information, such as pending and completed transfers, but it also highlights movements within the stock industry! Top News Cards will deliver breaking news in regards to the financial market, while Top Mover Cards will showcase the biggest gains and/or losses on your watch list and in the S&P 500.

This is definitely a tough race! Who do you think will be The Best New Startup of 2016 at this year’s Tech Crunchies? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter!