LISLE, Ill. – SECO International produced a live, four-day trade event April 28 to May 2, 2021 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. SECO was the last major event in Atlanta in 2020 and the first in 2021 to help lead the way of offering face-to-face networking and learning experiences. Committed to providing a safe experience for their registrants, SECO tapped CompuSystems for their Safe Event registration and lead retrieval services to reduce person-to-person contact and support social distancing in their high-traffic registration areas and on the show floor.
“When SECO decided to have their live event this year, they were focused not only on providing the best event experience for their audience, but the safest, too,” said Mark LoGiurato, CompuSystems’ COO. “They looked to us to be sure all of the appropriate registration-related safety measures were in place.”
Delivering a safe onsite experience often requires a multi-pronged approach, and this was the case at SECO 2021.
“SECO was able to offer attendees and exhibitors new badge options this year, including downloading or print-at-home, which helped us reduce registration lines and touchpoints during the event,” said Elizabeth Taylor DeMayo, CEM, Executive Director, SECO International. “We have received very positive feedback from participants, as they appreciated every effort made to create a safe environment during the event.”
Following are the products and services CompuSystems delivered with the help of the SECO staff:
Onsite Registration Area
- Self-serve and touchless kiosks for badge printing that were spaced out to allow for social distancing
- Manned registration stations that were spaced out and equipped with plexiglass divider shields to allow for social distancing and maximum safety
Three Badge Options
1. Virtual Badge
Registrants could download it to their smartphone and store it in their Apple or Google Wallet; it came equipped with a QR code for show floor/session access control and lead retrieval.
2. Print-at-Home Badge
Registrants could print their badges before they left for the event on plain paper using the badge printing template provided during the registration process; badge holders were supplied onsite by show management.
3. Traditional Badge
Registrants could print their badges in the traditional fashion at the event using a contactless express badge printing kiosk or via the manned registering station.
Contactless Lead Retrieval for Exhibitors
Exhibitors were able to conduct their business a safe distance away from attendees and still capture important sales lead information electronically using CompuSystems’ lead retrieval app. Every badge option came equipped with a QR code for this purpose.
This contactless solution eliminated paper exchange and waste in multiple ways. First, the app removed the need to exchange business cards or having to write contact information on a sign-up sheet. It also enabled exhibitors to send digital marketing information directly to attendees from within the app, helping to reduce paper waste.
Furthermore, exhibitors could take advantage of a self-serve lead retrieval kiosk product that they could place anywhere in their booth. The self-serve kiosk allowed attendees to scan either their physical or virtual badge to request product literature and automatically provide their contact information to the exhibitor for follow-up purposes.
From Safe Event Products to Success
Taking the steps to offer safer options for registration, badging, and lead retrieval contributed to SECO’s overall satisfaction with the event, providing a model for future live events that will both attract and reassure attendees.
“While we faced many challenges in hosting a live event, we are very appreciative of CompuSystems’ Safe Event options and products,” said Elizabeth Taylor DeMayo. “They were easy to set up and deploy, and the feedback from attendees has been overwhelmingly positive. Thank you, CompuSystems, for your contributions to a successful SECO 2021 show,” DeMayo went on to say.
For more information about how CompuSystems’ Safe Event products can help maximize safety at your live event, contact us at 331-903-6400.
About SECO International
The Southeastern Congress of Optometry (SECO) is a not-for-profit membership association founded in 1923, and counts as its members practitioners in 13 southeastern states. The annual SECO conventions on average attract 6,000 national and international eye care professionals, vendors, and allied healthcare personnel. SECO International is widely acknowledged as the largest optometric educational meeting in the world. For more information, visit attendseco.com.
About CompuSystems
CompuSystems is a leading provider of registration, data management, data analytics and lead retrieval services. Our mission is to help event organizers, exhibitors and attendees achieve the most successful trade show experience possible.
