Registers – Systems controlled by data bearing records – Credit or identification card systems
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-30
2003-02-04
Le, Thien M. (Department: 2876)
Registers
Systems controlled by data bearing records
Credit or identification card systems
C235S382000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06513710
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a system for keeping track of and controlling attendees at a show, e.g., trade shows and conventions, monitoring their attendance at booths and generally keeping track of and monitoring their attendance at the show.
2. Prior Art
In the past five years, computer technology and standardization in computer software have become so widespread that many association and trade show managers who sponsor and operate trade shows have begun performing many tasks previously performed by commercial Convention Registration Companies. The advent of inexpensive fast PC's, Microsoft Windows, the Internet, and laptop computers now permit a paradigm shift in the manner in which trade shows are advertised, attendees are registered, exhibitors participate in the show and how attendee/exhibitor sales lead data are collected.
In particular, advanced registration of attendees is now being performed by mail, fax, telephone and over the internet. This means that a substantial number of the attendees have registered, paid their money, and received their badges long before they actually arrive at the trades how or meeting. This eliminates a major problem and annoyance that trade show attendees have had of waiting in long lines(sometimes for hours) upon arriving at the trade show to go through the registration process. This means that the tasks of registering attendees, printing badges, and associated tasks that typically occur in the lobby of the location of the show, are reduced substantially. Prior to the paradigm shift, registration required a great number of large, bulky pieces of equipment to accommodate the typical first-day surge of attendees. Registration is now being performed with laptop PC's and simple electronic printers. This paradigm shift in the small to medium size trade shows results in the registration process, badge and ticket printing, and lead collection being performed with only laser and thermal printed documents.
There are numerous type trade shows. Such shows are differentiated by the size of the show, whether the size is determined by the number of exhibitors, the number of attendees, or the square footage of the exhibit area. Additionally such shows may only be consumer shows or other public access trade shows wherein there is no need to identify the attendee. In these type shows, no name badges are issued to attendees, and any purchases are usually made at the exhibitor's booth while the attendee is present. Additionally, there are many high profile trade shows that demand extra security and thus require the issuance of badges at the registration desk in order to see photo ID's, other proof of identification, or to view other specific requirements. In these highly attended type shows name badges are required to be issued at the front door and are highly coveted by the attendees. At other smaller type meetings and events where there are no exhibitors, name badges may be simple paper labels, and in particular where there are no exhibitors, no lead collection system is needed. Thus, name badges may be filled in by the attendee. Optionally, no name badges may be used.
Generally, the purpose of name badges for attendees of trade shows may be manifold:
1) Visual name identification of the individual by other attendees and by exhibitor salespeople. Large type is required so that the name is legible from a distance of 3-5 feet. Hence, dictates a badge size of 3″ to 4″;
2) Coding, for example by business type, for admission and exhibitor identification,
3) Authorization to specific areas and for specific benefits such as food, etc.;
4) A “Coding-Means”, e.g., bar code, magnetic stripe, words, optically readable characters, that includes the address and other relevant data of the attendee so that it may be transmitted to exhibitors.
Trade shows have increased in size and number over the past fifty years because they are a better sales vehicles for businesses. Whereas 20-30 years ago trade shows were used only for major industry events and technical communication (transmission)events, today trade shows represent a substantial part of most marketing promotion budgets for small and large businesses. In fact, there are more than 20,000 trade shows each year in the United States that draw anywhere between 100 and 200 million attendees.
A primary reason why trade shows have continued to grow and perform so well is that the cost of a sales lead and/or the cost of a sales presentation to an attendee (sales prospect) continues to fall relative to a sales call by a salesman. The trade shows draw attendees to the shows and concentrate them in one place providing inexpensive contact by a sales person with the sales prospect. This is in contrast to sales people and other sales vehicles traveling to individual sales prospect throughout the country or specific locale. In fact, the trade show associations have their own organization (The Trade show Marketing Association) whose primary purpose is to demonstrate to marketing and sales managers how their marketing/sales expenditures will be more effectively used at a trade show, that their cost per sale will be less, and generally to try to convince them to use trade shows as a bigger part of their marketing/sales mix. In essence, trade shows are a communication media, similar to radio, television, space advertising, direct mail, bill boards, etc.
An important fact should also be recognized is that attendees of trade shows (sales prospects) would not go to trade shows, and intentionally expose themselves to advances by hundreds of salespeople if they did not also benefit from such shows, i.e., trade show attendees go to trade shows to learn, review products, solve problems, and make purchasing decisions. They subject themselves to two or three days of exhaustive work (and sometimes abuse by salespeople) in order to benefit themselves. Thus, anything that will make the attendee's work easier will make more attendees go to trade shows. In reality, trade shows are a win-win marketing devices (business tool) to permit sellers and buyers to get together.
Traditionally, trade shows operate in the following manner. A show sponsor(owner) decides to have a show and pays money to organize, advertise, and produce the show. For the site selected (the particular city and exhibit facility), a show management company is hired to obtain all the local providers of exhibit products, e.g., rugs, pipes, drapes, electrical contractors, buses, signs, registration people, etc. Attendee registration can be in advance and/or only at the time the show opens. On the date specified, the exhibit hall is assigned to the show managers for their particular show, the show is decorated, show equipment is set up, and the exhibitors move in and prepare for the attendees to arrive on the opening date of the show. When the attendees arrive, either with their badge or to pickup their badge in the lobby at the registration desk, the attendees proceed to attend speeches, seminars, and walk through the exhibit halls during the days the show is operating. At the end of the show, the decorations are all removed, the exhibitors leave with all their wears, and the show provider of food, booths, etc. remove everything from the exhibit hall, so that it is now empty, clean, and ready for the next show.
The show sponsor and show management vary depending on the show's ownership. For example, an association may sponsor a show (pay for it), hire an independent show management company to run it, and the hired show manager organizes and coordinates the entire event. Alternatively, an association may sponsor a show and perform all the show management duties themselves. On the other hand, show management companies own particular shows which they pay to produce, they manage the show themselves, and receive all the profits from the show operation (which can be millions of dollars for large shows).
The major source of income from most shows are the fees paid by exhibitors who want to present a
Temtec Inc.
Zall Michael E.
LandOfFree
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