SA is yet to see significant implementations of systems based on radio frequency identification (RFID) technology in the retail and supply chain industries, but it is being used successfully to collect data at conferences, exhibitions and other events.
This is according to Stephan Potgieter, MD of IT Event Management, who adds: "Using RFID-enabled systems at events is becoming increasingly popular because it is a solid, workable solution capable of delivering accurate data to a wide range of applications.
"Tracking people at events and using that data to extract information is not a new concept, but RFID technology has matured to the point where it can collect that data much more efficiently, accurately and unobtrusively."
Since pioneering the use of RFID-based systems at big events such as Microsoft`s TechEd conference at Sun City two years ago, Potgieter observes, there has been a marked increase in demand for such systems, particularly in the past six months.
"Using RFID-enabled name tags at conferences is a technical challenge because of the high levels of RF absorption and interference associated with crowds of people, but we have solved those problems using locally developed RFID technology for our applications," says Potgieter.
From a technological point of view, experience has shown RFID systems using cheaper ultra-high frequency (UHF) tags do not work well in conference environments, achieving read rates of only 45% in contrast with 98% achieved by lower frequency systems such as those developed by iPico in Pretoria.
The demand for RFID-enabled systems is driven by the need for an accurate way of collecting data about people attending events. This data provides organisers with information such as the number of attendees, and presenters with information about the audience, such as job roles.
"Issuing attendees with RFID tags ahead of an event expedites the registration process at the venue and enables organisers to follow up with the correct people after an event with conference material," says Potgieter.
Although the use of RFID tags for events is increasingly popular, Potgieter admits that the cost of tags is one of the biggest inhibiting factors, as it is with most RFID-enabled solutions.
"Tag rental is relatively inexpensive, but many event organisers are still unwilling to risk having to pay the replacement cost of R25 for each tag that is not returned after use, even though several incentives are used to ensure near 100% returns," says Potgieter.
It will be at least two to five years before the cost of tags will drop low enough to no longer be a consideration for event organisers. Until then, barcode systems will remain the only practical solution for events with many thousands of attendees, according to Potgieter.