Conference Badges, Matt Cutts from Google

Posted • January 8, 2009 • Comments Off

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I have been to so many conferences in the last ten years and I couldn’t even count them all.

Like Matt Cutts says in his recent blog post:

I don’t even know how many conferences I’ve been to in the last decade, but it’s probably 30-40. In that time, maybe 2-3 conferences have really nailed the conference badge for attendees. Here’s what the ideal conference badge should look like, in my opinion:

matts badge Conference Badges, Matt Cutts from Google

Each attendee’s first name needs to be large and easily readable
Make the badge big
Put the attendee’s name on the front and the back of the badge

I bring my own badge and lanyard to all of these conferences and it solves the inferior badge problems. I usually have to attach their badge below the one I have produced. Everything is large enough to read. I have used this at conferences over the past three years and have had no objections.
gary pool badge Conference Badges, Matt Cutts from Google
I have two lanyards that I use, a green one form the Internet Strategy Forum and a blue one from Meetings Market Academy. They both have a place for your own business cards, business cards you collect and a spot for a pen. Like a boy scout I always come prepared.

Matt also sites Mike Davidson’s take on the right way to do a conference badge.
econsmbadge Conference Badges, Matt Cutts from Google

Too small at 3 inches tall by 4 inches wide. Bump that puppy up to 4 by 6.
First and last name on same line.
Set in 25-ish point Arial: the worst font in the world and even more unreadable at that size and weight.
Title of conference — the least important information on the badge — dominates the space.
“ATTENDEE” is the boldest text on the badge. It’s not *that* important as speakers and attendees share 99% of the same privileges.
Lanyard contains name of conference instead of being sold to a sponsor. No one cares what the lanyard looks like, so go ahead and sell it to Yahoo or something.

Mike even offers an illustrator file in eps format to download and be used to help bring people closer together at your conference.

Late,
Gary Pool

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