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The typical conference name badge offers some fairly routine benefits. It provides access to the venue, gives organizers an easy way to know who qualifies for continuing-education credits, and helps exhibitors track new leads. But when more than 130,000 attendees picked up their badges for the ConExpo-Con/Agg and IFPE trade show, they were getting access to more than the exhibit hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center from March 7–11. Their name badges doubled as their tickets for the Las Vegas Monorail that transports passengers along the Las Vegas Strip. Jennifer Breed, director of sales and marketing at the Las Vegas Monorail Company, told PCMA that the unlimited-ride passes were included in the registration packages for attendees and exhibitors.
“This was the first show to include Monorail service as an amenity to attendee- and exhibitor- registration packages, and we are working with additional conventions, meetings, and events for future partnerships,” Breed said. “More planners are relying on technology to make meetings and events as convenient and seamless as possible, and as a result, the Las Vegas Monorail has implemented technology allowing show badges to be used as fare medium on the Monorail system.”
ConExpo-Con/Agg and IFPE offered complimentary passes — valued at $28 for three-day attendee passes and $43 for five-day exhibitor passes — but other shows have given participants the option to add Monorail tickets to their badges at their own costs. Breed said that CES attendees could buy and add their tickets directly to their show badges during the tech show in January. When the National Association of Broadcasters Show takes over Las Vegas from April 22–27, participants will also be able to add transit passes to their badges.
In addition to giving attendees a more convenient way of getting around, Breed said that the company works with show organizers to plan and adjust train frequency to coincide with heavy traffic flow. As organizers look for opportunities to enhance the on-site experience, integrating transportation services within a name badge is one example of how to eliminate some of the minor hassles of being an attendee. By reducing traffic congestion, eliminating long lines at ticket terminals, and removing one item from attendees’ pockets and purses, ConExpo-Con/Agg and IFPE accomplished a task on every organizer’s agenda: Figure out how to make attendees just a bit happier.
For more information on ticket integration capabilities for conventions in Las Vegas, click here.