NFC badge

NFC is the workhorse end of the smart badge spectrum: cheap chips, no battery, and a read range of a few centimeters, which makes it reliable and easy to reason about. The main event uses are tap-to-connect between attendees, tap-to-check-in at session doors, tap-to-capture at exhibitor stands, and door access — and because most modern phones read NFC natively, exhibitors often need no special hardware at all. The short range is worth understanding as a feature, not a limitation. An NFC badge transmits nothing until it's deliberately tapped, so every data exchange is a physical act of consent by the attendee. That makes NFC far easier to defend on privacy grounds than Bluetooth-based badges, which broadcast continuously and enable passive location tracking — and it's why NFC remains the default choice for events that want tap interactions without a tracking conversation. The tradeoff is symmetrical: no passive tracking means no heatmaps, no dwell times, no crowd analytics; NFC only sees the moments people chose to create. The common operational mistake is underestimating reader logistics — check-in taps need enough readers at each door to avoid queues, and a tap point nobody notices captures nothing. Plan reader placement with the same care as signage.