Networking with Name Tags

It’s the little things that count, right? And that applies to networking as well.

Andrew Rigie wrote “Why Name Tags And Other Little Details At Events Matter” for Forbes at little less than a month ago. And, we love what he said about networking!

The pressure is always high when you’re hosting a business networking event. Whether it’s a cocktail party for clients, an event to foster new business relationships, or a team building activity for your company, creating the right vibe and experience for attendees is a must. It doesn’t matter if you’re hosting a large event or small, it’s the little details that make a big difference.

Think for a moment. What does good networking look like? How do people act while networking? What are their attitudes? Most people would agree that a good networker is sincere, friendly and outgoing, supportive and a good listener. It isn’t just about staying in touch. It goes beyond that. A good networker is someone you want to trust and be friends with.

Providing high-quality name tags at networking events is a little detail that makes a big difference. They are worth the extra money. When we host networking events for hospitality industry professionals, we invest in high-quality name tags that stick to clothing using a magnet, instead of those with a pin. We’ve learned that people don’t always want to put a pin through their clothes and that using high-quality magnetic name tags elevates the perceived quality of the event.

Presentation Matters

Remember that people need to find their name tag easily. You don’t want several people milling around a table for too long before they locate their credentials and pass to enter your event. Take into consideration how they will be looking for their name. Are they use to finding their first name or last? And organizing names by a company makes it just the much more manageable.

Use our Badge Holder Cases and Display Trays to make your name tags easily accessible.

Utilize All of Your Tools

While badge holders and name tags are a great item to have on hand for any event, remember that you have other tools available. Try adding badge ribbons to each name tag for a custom look. Design ribbons to correspond with titles or positions at your next event.

While we have over 50 titles available as stock choices, custom ribbons are also available. Choose the color and title that best suits your need. And, if branding is needed, most of our ribbons can have a logo or graphic added.

People sometimes wince at the concept of name tags because they think they make the atmosphere cheesy or they’ve found ‘Hi My Name Is’ stickers stuck to the bottom of their shoes. But guests at our events make positive comments about the magnetic name tags, and they always want to take them home.

Name tags just fit the bill with networking. So, make your next event work even better with custom name tags and name badges.

Gaining Our Wings with Donations

All angels have wings, right?

Coller Industries loves giving back to our community. It’s what helps define our business standards and practices. And, without these donations, we know we wouldn’t be complete. And this contribution goes to a fantastic corporation who knows the exact definition of helping and is helping us to get our wings.

The Arc of King County

Formed in 1936, The Arc of King County is a group of parents raising children with intellectual and developmental disabilities came together to advocate for their children’s rights to live, learn, work and play in the community. From these grassroots origins, the first parents of The Arc fought for their children’s rights to access housing, education, employment, and community resources such as transportation.

Their goal is to further the civil rights movement for all persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities to thrive as equal, valued, and active members of the community.

Brianne Roberson, Office Coordinator at The Arc of King County, summarizes by saying, “We offer supported living, homelessness prevention and civic engagement to promote and protect the rights of people with IDD.”

Donations are part of who we are.

From engraved logos to printable inserts, one of our most popular products is our Mighty Badges. Due to the versatility of these name badges, our customers keep coming back for them time and time again. The Arc is no different. Coller Industries provided Standard Mighty Badges with a white back plate for The Arc. Mighty Badges with logos make the process effortless. Now all they have to do is print out the easy-to-use inserts and assemble the badges.

“The name badges allow us to be easily identified and help our clients learn our names,” said Roberson. The Arc is using these tags during their Wings for Autism event.

Wings for Autism is back!

Wings for Autism is a program that is designed to alleviate some of the stress that families who have a child with autism spectrum disorders experience when traveling by air. It provides families an opportunity to practice entering an airport, obtain boarding passes, go through security, and board a plane.

The program also gives airport professionals an opportunity to interact and deliver their services in a structured, learning environment.

The next Wings for Autism event is March 3, 2018, at Seattle Tacoma International Airport.

How To Improve Visitor Security

Improving company security and efficiency are constant business goals.

And, using personal identification is a great way to tackle these goals!

When was the last time you didn’t recognize someone in your workplace? Wouldn’t it help to have a way to label everyone who walks in the front door? Whether you work at a school, an office complex or the neighborhood medical clinic, security is always an issue.

While having personal identification for employees is a standard concept, often people find it challenging to make visitors wear name tags or other identifiers. Most schools now have easy access to printable sticky name badges, but many offices don’t have that availability. Reusable name badges are quickly becoming a necessity in these situations.

Whether it’s a Speedy Badge or something a bit more temporary, identification is a must when dealing with security. So, try these three tips to make it a joy to wear a name tag in your office.

Use colors and logos to liven up your visitor name badges.

Sometimes, names just aren’t enough. Each name badge should have a way to identify that the visitor, or employee for that matter, belongs at your workplace. Business runs more smoothly when using company branding. So, don’t forget that when using temporary name tags to include a company logo.

And, to make it a bit more fun, play around with different colors for different types of visitors. Maybe your school class is going on a field trip. Use one color for teachers and another for a parent volunteer. Use a third color for students so that they stand out from everyone else. And with both plastic and metal choices for logo name tags, the color doesn’t have to be limited to variations on your logo.

Brand your visitors like you brand your employees.

In many office environments, visitors are asked to check in or provide credentials for security measures. And using visitor identification will increase your building’s security. While it is important that visitors are easily recognized, they shouldn’t feel like they don’t belong. So, take your logo one step farther. Help your visitors to feel like they belong a bit better by incorporating your company branding into their name badges as well as the employee badges.

By providing visitors with name badges, your company or corporation will be able to welcome each visitor and help them feel a little better placed. Knowing is half the battle, right? And name tags always help in identifying who is in your building at any given time. Which, in turn, increases your security.

Badge Holders can Benefit Your Company

Make quality badge holders work for you!

From company security and finances to work relationships and camaraderie, you may find that badge holders are perfect for any company or corporation.

Discovering new ways to help your business thrive is a constant process. And finding simple ways to make that process easier is a great way to start. Enter badge holders! While they may be simple items, they are worth looking in to. And utilizing them will help your business in many ways.

Here are four ways a plastic badge holder can benefit your business.

Easy Accessibility

Your staff will quickly find their credentials or proximity cards when putting them in a badge holder. They won’t have to dig into their pockets or empty their purses. Clocking in and out is a much faster process for each work shift. Employees are also less likely to lose security items that are attached to their clothes or hanging around their necks. And nothing lost means that the company does not have to pay to replace them.

Interpersonal Relationships

Whether pinned to an employee’s chest or attached to a lanyard, badge holders with personal identification allow co-workers to get to know each other. They learn each others’ names, what job they have and in which department they work. This knowledge fosters work relationships and camaraderie. It can also help new employees get to know their colleagues faster and feel more comfortable in their position.

Save Money

Is your company looking at name tags and thinking that they just won’t work? Or do you just have too high of a turn over to invest in something so permanent? A badge holder may be just what you need!

Badge holders are typically lightweight and easy to use. They also come in many different sizes to meet all of your needs. And, to make these personal identification tools even better, use the printable inserts that go with them. Just print a new name and title for every employee, thus making turn over an easier adjustment. And it will keep costs down.

Increase Security

Employee identification typically includes names, job titles and sometimes a photo. When everyone wears this information in something like a badge holder, security personnel can see who is permitted access to the building. And this can decrease theft, impersonation and unauthorized visits.

Don’t forget your lanyards!

A strong, durable lanyard goes hand in hand with a badge holder. When using these tools together, make sure to have both sides of the badge holder contain the same information that when it swings on the lanyard, credentials and other vital information remains visible.

Tips provided by guest author CreelaBelle Howard, content writer at Coller Industries.

Helping is a Coller Industries Tradition

Here at Coller Industries, we are helping to make a difference in our customer’s lives.

Donations are a big part of who we are here at Coller Industries. Helping our non-profit customers with their purchases may seem like a small thing, but we understand the difference that it makes. And we love having repeat donations!

For the past few years, we have been donating to An Infinite Mind. This non-profit has a particular and unique goal. It is to raise awareness and support for those with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). And, we think they are doing an excellent job!

Here is a little bit about them:

“The brain is merely an organ, but the mind is infinite.”

Far too often, people with dissociative identities are portrayed as crazy or unstable. They have faced accusations of making up this disorder. The stigma associated with DID has led to countless men and women living with dissociative identities to hide their true, whole self in fear of the repercussions if they are found out. An Infinite Mind was formed out of a need for accurate information on all Dissociative Disorders but especially DID.

Jaime Pollock, Founder and Director of An Infinite Mind, said, “In short, we are a national non-profit dedicated to helping adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse heal through supportive services, education, advocacy and awareness.”

We donated badge holders, inserts and white flat lanyards.

Name badge holders are an event staple as they are frequently used for conferences, conventions, trade shows, meetings, schools and visitor passes. Not only are they an excellent choice for events, but they are also a fantastic option for reusable needs, such as in a retail environment.

Lanyards are noted for their ability to keep essential items like a name badge or pen close at hand. They are used in a broad range of activities from the workplace to schools and concerts to trade shows. Most often they have a name badge holder attached, and sometimes the badge holder displays the entire agenda for a meeting or conference.

“Our conference is a secure and safe place for our attendees so without a name tag they can’t enter. It is a very important piece of the event!” Pollock explained.

As An Infinite Mind is entirely volunteer-run, every donation counts. Even one of name tags and lanyards! We are always helping where we can.