IBM Uses RFID to Track Conference Attendees

Computerworld - LAS VEGAS -- At its Information on Demand conference here, IBM used name tags equipped with radio frequency identification technology to track attendance at sessions and meals.

The company said it would remove the RFID chips from the name tags of people who didnt want them, but only 2% of the 6,500 attendees took it up on the offer, said Mary Ann Alberry, IBMs conference manager.

Attendee Bill Miller, an independent DB2 consultant working in Frankfurt, said he has a somewhat negative opinion of the tags because of RFIDs potential for abuse.

Alberry said data collected from the tags could help IBM plan future conferences. For example, organizers could use it to create sessions based on attendee interests.

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