Conference Badge Zip Line - What?

The Geeksultant's picture

Every year I attend a multitude of I.T. conferences attributed to the top tier hardware and software vendors such as Citrix, Microsoft, VMware and more. ... and every one of them gives you a badge to wear. One with your picture, another with a RFID chip in it so every vendor attending can scan your badge to place you on their email list. Truthfully, these conferences are all the same and they are getting lame. Time for a new format, are you listening dear vendors? Anyway, that's another story. Back to the badge dilemma.

Along with those badges come lanyards and other devices to hang the badge around your neck. If for some reason, those aren't long enough, they always add what I call the "Conference Badge Zip Line." You know, those little round things with 6 feet of razor sharp string coiled on a spring loaded reel. It allows your badge to be grabbed by those hottie display girls at each vendor booth and scanned on their phones so they can provide statistics on how many and who visited their booth. But really, it's to allow them to collect your contact information so that as soon as you get back from your conference your email inbox and office voicemail are over flowing with "please call me back" messages.

Ok, I promise no more wandering. Back to the ZIP line thing.

I have a drawer in my desk that has dozens and dozens of these badges, lanyards and zip line extensions attached.

I finally found a green (reusable) use for one.

The corner of my pool table (or billiards table to my EU friends) now holds my blue tip chalk in style and allows it to be extended. No more bending over while holding the cue stick.

Yes, I chose the Citrix one out of all of the ones I had. I am still partial to them. They do tend to provide the majority of my income these days.

Long live the "Conference Badge Zip Line."