3 Hints For Renting Barcode Equipment For A Tradeshow

Tradeshows and exhibitions are some of the most vibrant events in the business world.  Attracting visitors from all walks of life, tradeshows require specialized crowd management tactics and effective attendance-tracking solutions.  More than any other business event, tradeshows need adequate barcode equipment and software.  To start with, the barcode equipment will play a crucial event management role, especially in controlling venue access and admissions.  Next, the data collected will be analyzed by the tracking systems before being downloaded for marketing activities.  Featuring a very diverse crowd of attendees, which would form the perfect focus group, tradeshows are goldmines for market research.  Being an invaluable source of marketing information, your tradeshow will require careful planning and management.  Before you can start planning the tradeshow, you should first decide whether to buy or rent the required barcode equipment.  Renting seems to be the most appropriate option because it's economical.  You must carefully consider the following factors when choosing your barcode equipment and software.

Barcode Type

As you know, the barcode equipment will be used to scan the barcodes in the badges of the attendees at the tradeshow.  However, before you rent a tradeshow badge scanner, you should find out the type of barcode that will be in your visitors' badges.  Incidentally, there are two types of barcodes — 1D and 2D barcodes — and either or both of them will feature in your event.  Because they require different scanners, this knowledge is very important in picking the right scanners for your event.  They also produce two different types of information upon scanning.  1D or one-dimensional barcodes are traditional barcodes that feature a combination of identification numbers and letters that indicate the database record of the individual.  Similar to license plate numbers, 1D barcodes are meaningless; unless they are referenced with the person's database record.

On the other hand, 2D or two-dimensional barcodes are contemporary barcodes that contain the complete database record of an individual, which is directly accessible upon scanning.  2D barcodes are popular among exhibitors because they offer detailed information, such as age, name, address, email, and phone number, about an individual upon scanning.  This information is very valuable for targeted marketing research and campaigns after the tradeshow.

Budget

After deciding to go for the rental barcode equipment, you can conduct routine research, preferably online for convenience, to determine the best market offers.  Mostly, cumulative weekly rental rates are relatively higher than monthly rental rates.  However, the margin is quite small considering that you need the equipment for only some few days.  Also, some vendors have combo rental equipment packages, where they combine two or more items like barcode readers and printers.  Such a choice is usually depends on your functional needs and preferences than on your budget estimate.

Other Factors

There are other considerations that are quite important; but they are usually standardized among many vendors.  First, many vendors offer their customers a choice between standard barcode software and a custom-programmed solution like a special lead retrieval program.  Second, in most cases, rental barcode equipment is supplied as a complete setup package including user manuals, docks, chargers, extra batteries, communications software, and download cables.  Finally, vendors rarely lack any barcode equipment or software; however, they advise their clients to book rentals early to ensure adequate delivery lead-time.