Nametags seem simple, but are they really? Why do we still so often see unreadable nametags at events? Or guests without a tag? Perhaps it's not as easy as we think. Here's some food for thought as well as tips.
The important thing about nametags is that they should suit your event. It's essential, therefore, to plan the correct nametag for your event from start to finish. For example: who is going to wear it? Who will read them? What should it say? What is the ideal size? What font is best legible? How to get the company's logo on it? What is the cost in time and money to print the tags in color? Will you use lanyards or adhesive tags? Who is going to hand them out? If you don't plan all this thoroughly in advance, you may run the risk that participants won't wear your tags, or that they can’t network properly because crucial information is missing (name, surname, title, company etc).
Too much
In theory we all know what should be on a tag, yet you often see mistakes. There is usually too much information which often renders them readable. Think nametags with apps, barcodes, QR codes, logos etc... You have to first go through all this info to finally find what you are looking for, which is: the name of the person you are talking to. Isn’t that the real purpose of a nametag?
4 tips
- Create tags that are clearly legible. Note the font, color, background etc.
- Tags are best worn on the right lapel of a jacket. Because you use your right hand (generally) for a handshake, your eyes automatically go to the right shoulder of the person with whom you are shaking hands. And then you can immediately see the nametag.
- Keep a supply of blank nametags handy. Here the idea is: better a handwritten nametag than no nametag. Make sure that handwritten nametags seem as much like a printed tag as possible and write all the necessary info on it.
- When all is said and done the name the most important: printed in good old-fashioned bold letters and clearly legible.
