One of our goals for this year’s Office 2.0 Conference is to go completely paperless. From a back-office standpoint, we’re pretty much done, and our setup is doing wonders. So the real challenge is to get rid of any printed materials during the conference itself. Our two biggest problems are sponsor logos on demo pods, and name tags worn by attendees. Here is how we are trying to solve them.

For sponsor logos, we bought cheap IKEA picture frames and printed logos using a color laser printer last year. It was a cost effective solution, but had many issues. For example, some sponsors wanted to change their logos at the last minute, and we had to take a printer with us, but could not carry the laser printer, therefore had to buy an extra ink jet printer. We also had to bring a paper cutter to crop the logos, for them to fit nicely within the picture frames. And because our demo pods were setup using a small round table called a highboy, there was not much space for the picture frames themselves, which as a result were a little bit too small. Also, some sponsors wanted their logos to be more prominently displayed, and snapped the picture frames onto their iMacs, which ended up scratching the delicate surface of Apple’s computers, thereby reducing their resale value. These are the kind of things that go wrong when you try something new and have very little time to experiment ahead of time.

This year, we are looking at an alternative solution that would allow us to display the logos of our sponsors on some kind of LCD display. Initially, we thought about using LCD picture frames, but could not figure out a way to properly mount them on the highboy. We were also worried that sponsors would not know how to use them if they wanted to change their logos. We kept searching, until we found Ergotron’s cost effective Neo-Flex arm, and Dell’s dirt cheap SE198WFP 19-inch LCD monitor. Together with the Apple Mini-DVI to DVI Adapter, we would have a super sleek solution to display sponsor logos on each demo pod for less than $300. Granted, it’s a lot more expensive than IKEA’s one-buck frame, and we’re still not sure that we can afford it, but it would be a lot more convenient. Another benefit of the approach is that we would be able to display multiple logos at the same time, which would allow us to provide additional branding for specific clusters of pods within the Demo Area, like the OpenSAM cluster.

The last problem is name tags. Some solutions exist, like nTag, but they are so expensive that they just don’t make sense. Also, all we need is a name tag, not a fully interactive device. For the later, we have the iPhone, and nothing can beat that. Another option would be to use the iPhone Name Tag application developed by mkaz.com, but it would require that participants wear their iPhones around their neck, and it would quickly drain the iPhone’s battery. In a perfect world, we would use a simple name tag using the E Ink technology and fitted with a Mini USB port that would allow staff and participants to upload a black & white or grayscale image. This device should not cost more than $10 or $20, so that participants could keep it after the event. I really do not understand why nobody is manufacturing such a thing yet, and I sure would be one of the first customers if anyone does. In the meantime, we might have to go for boring printed name tags, making them the only exception to our no paper rule this year. Or we could go for plastic ID cards, using a card printer like the Zebra P330i. It would still require printing, but it would be paperless…