I got an interesting press release from HIMSS today announcing that they’ll be using RFID technology to track foot traffic to exhibitors at the HIMSS annual conference:
HIMSS and Alliance Tech have partnered to offer booth traffic reporting and analysis for HIMSS exhibitors at the 2011 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition scheduled for Feb. 20-24, 2011 in Orlando, Fla.
“Understanding the needs and preferences of attendees at our annual conference has always been a priority for HIMSS,” says H. Stephen Lieber, CAE, HIMSS President and CEO. “With the incorporation of RFID technology at HIMSS11, we are expanding conference benefits for both our exhibitors and attendees as they work together to find the best technology solution needed by the healthcare organization.”
It seems like an exaggeration to say that this is a benefit to attendees. I can see the value for the exhibitors. It’s going to be interesting to see how this is used. I’m not sure what I think about that tracking, but we’ll see how it’s used. I think many attendees will be less than happy about the idea.
What do you think of this?
Foot traffic is a poor metric. all you have to do is have a drawing for an iPad. Whamo, foot traffic. Sales? Not so much.