We recently had the opportunity to donate to the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce. They were kind enough to answer some questions for us about their wonderful organization.
Name Tag: What is the name of your company or organization? Do you have a mission statement?
San Rafael: San Rafael Chamber of Commerce – Women of Industry Awards Event
Mission Statement:Â The San Rafael Chamber of Commerce is a member-based business advocacy organization providing a strong voice in support of the economic vitality of our community.
NT: What was donated to you? How did/will it help your organization?
SR: 250 3×4 magnetic badge holders for gifts to participants of the Women of Industry annual awards event.
Your donation of the name badges was invaluable to raising greater funds for our scholarships that offer financial assistance to a San Rafael woman entrepreneur or small business owner so she may attend the San Rafael Leadership Institute – a leadership program of the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce. Without this donation the name badges would have been a necessary expense that would have reduced the funds raised.
NT: If you could describe your company/organization in 3 words what would they be?
SR: Chamber of Commerce
NT: Do you have any other comments you would like to add?
SR: We thank you very much for your continued support of this annual event, now in its 2 year, and look forward to having your support in years to come.
We are so pleased we could help out with the scholarship program at San Raphael Chamber. If you are with an organization that you think could benefit from a donation from our company please contact us a marketing@nametag.com.
If you would like to make a donation to the San Raphael Chamber yourself click below to go to their website!
It’s back to school time, and you need a way to make sure your child is ready. A great creative way to use badge holders to do that is to make a dry erase work book. You can replace the inserts with more challenging material as the school year goes on. Simply wipe away the dry erase marker with a cloth and reuse the badge holders again and again. This way you can make sure your child is ready for tests or quizzes. It is important to play an active role in your child’s life and this is a great way to get involved.
And, our badge holders can do a lot more than that. Do you have any ideas on how to use our badge holders? If so, let us know! We would love to feature your creative ways to use badge holders idea right here on our blog.
While we don’t have pens and notebooks, we do have ideas you can use for any back to school needs. Here are even more creative ways to use badge holders at home or in any classroom.
Badge holders for name tags for staff or kids.
Parent volunteers and visitor identification (quick printing using paper inserts).
Easy accessibility of a calendar or schedule printed on the insert.
Classroom games with color coordinated inserts and appropriate text.
Label things around the classroom for instructing the students.
Fun personalized bookmarks that can be reused and redecorated.
Add a lanyard for an easy to use hall pass or when sending a kid on an errand.
Print the insert with students’ names and use them as backpack tags.
Customize fun and reusable desk tags for each student.
Easy to change seating arrangements for the classroom or a school event.
Print a special message on the insert for teacher gifts and then attach it to a present.
Slip in a photo of each student and hang them where kids leave personal belongings.
Providing pre-printed event badges is one of the most effective investments you can make to the success of an event, especially a networking event. Yet many people waste this opportunity to help guests meet and greet at an optimum level. Here are a few tips to ensure your event name badges look great and are the most productive.
Keep the Printing Simple
All your event badges need is a first and last name with your affiliation or company underneath. Think twice about the need to provide any more information beyond these basics.
Printing the first name larger than the last name
While there are no hard and fast rules governing whether to enlarge the person’s first name, I submit that it’s best to print both the first and last name in the same size font. You will obviously see the person’s first name. However, if the last name is too small to be easily read, an opportunity to connect is lost since a person’s identity comes from knowing both a person’s first and last name.
No Honorifics and Titles for Event Badges
Do not place honorifics such as Ph.D. or Dr. or titles such as President or Sales Manager on event badges. You can learn this information as you converse. Only at special events will honorifics or titles be helpful, such as a doctor’s convention where the doctor’s specialties are important or a company conference where titles let others know what that person’s responsibilities are.
Adding a Company or Organization Name
Besides a person’s first and last name, the only other information to print for an event badge is a person’s company or organization name; this is a great way to begin conversations. While we should all be proud of our affiliated organizations, seeing the person’s name is more important than knowing their affiliated company. Therefore, place the company name or logo at the bottom of the tag in a font size that’s easy to read yet smaller than the person’s name.
Host and Sponsor Organizations
Give acknowledgment to the sponsors of your event through the design of the badges, but never allow that information to override the all-important role of a name badge which is to introduce the person who is wearing it.
Choose a Font
Use big, bold fonts for printing and avoid script or fancy fonts. The goal is to make the badges easy to read, so choose your font wisely. With several thousand choices on most computers, your name badges do not need to be boring when selecting a font for readability. Some popular fonts for name badges include Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, Calibri and Times.
Font size matters
Print the names on the badges in a font size that practically fills the tag. It is a waste of an excellent networking tool to print the information on any badges in small type. Instead, begin with a large 40-point font and adjust the size to fit the names on each line. Some names are larger or shorter, so adjust the font size accordingly.
Print a Test of the Event Badges
Before printing your badges, print a single badge and look at it from the same distance it will be viewed at the event. Then, if there is any difficulty in reading any of the information, go back and make adjustments and try it again.
Syndi Seid is a leading international business protocol and social etiquette expert. For more information on Syndi and other free tips, see www.AdvancedEtiquette.com.
Event name badges are the best way to identify yourself, especially when networking is a primary focus. Follow these guidelines and you will always be safe from sabotaging your own success. So, what is an event name badge and how do you wear them properly?
Should I bring my own name badge to events?
While arriving with your custom designed name tag assures your name and affiliation are printed the way you like. It may not be in your best interest to do so. Consider this: event planners usually create badges specific to a particular occasion to identify those who legitimately belong at the event and those who don’t. Wearing a name badge from outside the event may inadvertently convey the impression that you are crashing the party.
Squint Factor
There is nothing more disappointing than arriving at check-in to see ineffective badges. The logo of the hosting or sponsoring organization dominates the event badge. At the same time, names, company affiliations and every other detail, except your birth date, are printed so small they are not easy to read.
Remember the Purpose of the Badge
When preparing event name badges, think through the purpose of the tag. The badge should make communicating and networking easy for your event attendees. Always show names in spoken order, given name followed by surname, followed by your affiliation or company underneath. Think twice about the need to provide any more information beyond these basics.
Hosts and Sponsors
Sponsors and hosts are important to every event, and they deserve recognition. However, it is essential to remember that the person’s name is the most important information on the badge. Therefore, the majority of space should be devoted to presenting the person’s name. Thus, the logo or sponsoring affiliation should be smaller than the attendee’s name. It should never be the reverse.
“Hello, my name is” Name Badges
I confess to not liking this particular style of name tag. They only serve a purpose for kids, are a waste of space, and should not be used in professional settings. Instead, it is best to use clean, professional looking adhesive badges with or without colored borders.
Handwriting vs. Printing on Event Name Badges
Having badges printed and waiting is the perfect way to start an event. When this is impossible, provide dark pens and encourage everyone to write large enough that you can easily read their information from a distance, at least one half inch in height. Allow as much white space as possible; it helps others to read the badge more easily.
Printed Tags
When generating pre-printed tags on a computer, choose a font that is easy to read. Arial, Myriad Web and Garamond are always good starting points. Sometimes it takes extra time to employ a little trial and error to find the correct font size and balance. However, it will be well worth the effort for optimum results. See part 2 of this article for information on printing event badges.
Wearing an Event Name Badge
Where should you place a name tag for networking? Wearing the badge high on your right shoulder gives other people the best view of the tag and your face. As you extend your right hand for a handshake, your eye and arm immediately draw to the right side of the person you are greeting. Because the uppermost part of your chest is the flattest area below your shoulder, this helps your tag to lie flat and be more secure. For women, this also prevents the awkwardness of drawing attention to a location we want to avoid having someone staring at. Placing the name tag high up in an easy-to-read and visible place keeps the focus on the tag where it should be.
Company Name Tags
Many businesses require their staff to wear name badges for identification. In this case, wearing such badges on the left shoulder is appropriate.
BONUS: Placing name tags straight and in plain view.
Never wear your name tag crooked, sideways or upside down. It sends a negative message to others, usually implying a lack of respect for the occasion or a lack of care or interest in your appearance.
What other tips do you have to add to this list? Let us hear from you.
Byline: Guest blogger Syndi Seid is a leading international business protocol and social etiquette expert. For more information on Syndi and other tips, visit www.Advanced Etiquette.com.
Recently we were able to donate 400 of our badge holders, and 400 of our round lanyards to AIESEC for their 2012-2013 US Winter National Conference.
They are present in over 113 countries and territories and have over 86,000 members! AIESEC is the world’s largest youth-run organization. They are focused on providing a platform for youth leadership development. AIESEC offers young people the opportunity to participate in international internships, experience leadership and participate in a global learning environment. What makes AIESEC unique is the youth driven impactful experience that it offers to its members. AIESEC is run by young people for young people, enabling a strong experience to all its stakeholders. In return for our donation we had them answer a few questions about their fantastic organization, and send us a few pictures of their event!
What is the name of your company or organization? Do you have a mission statement?
AIESEC is the world’s largest youth-run organization, present in over 113 countries and territories and with over 86,000 members, Focused on providing a platform for youth leadership development, AIESEC offers young people the opportunity to participate in international internships, experience leadership and participate in a global learning environment.
What was donated to you? How did it help with your event?
We received 200 dollars worth of Nametags. Your donation greatly helped us to cover our accommodation cost, resulting in making the price per delegate cheaper and opening up this opportunity to more young leaders.
What was the nature of your event (conference, charity event, party, etc.), and was it a success?
2012-2013 AIESEC US Winter National Conference’s aim was to review and analyze past performance of 43 local committees in the United States, understand deviations, and plan for the future of AIESEC US with an estimated 400 young leaders from all over the country, while participating in leadership workshops that helped develop their global mindset. AIESEC US considers your support vital to the development of our members. With your great help, the conference could be successfully hosted.
If you could describe your company/organization 3 words what would they be?
Leadership: AIESEC is a leadership platform for today’s brightest and most ambitious youth.
Network: AIESEC offers young leaders to gain access to the largest international student network in the world.
(Ex)Change: AIESEC facilitates life-changing cultural exchange of individuals to and from the farthest edges the globe.
Do you have any other comments you would like to add?
On behalf of AIESEC United States Inc., I would like to thank you for your donations. We could not have done it without you and your support to help us make this event such an amazing success. Our organization is looking forward to having a strong partnership with your organization. We hope you will honor us in the future by supporting our events and remaining in contact.
What a wonderful organization! Click the link below to visit their website!
