In the increasing trend of using online tools to coordinate between the physical and virtual worlds, a new company, Mingle360, has introduced a product that acts as a virtual business card.  Their product is the MingleStick, an infrared device that allows its users to quickly exchange contact information in less than a second.  Mingle360 hopes their product will become the new business card for the digital age.

Mingle360 created the MingleStick to be both easy to use and easy to carry around.  The small, single button device can be attached to your keychain or carried on a lanyard.  On one end is an infrared sensor which sends and receives wireless information; on the other end, shielded by a removable cap, is a USB connector which connects to a computer to upload data.  When two users want to connect, they point their MingleSticks at each other and press the button.  A red light blinks and then turns green, signaling a successful connection. The MingleStick avoids the exchange of business cards, which people can lose, misplace, or just be weighed down by, especially when making many new contacts at tradeshows and conferences. 

While the MingleStick has many applications in everyday life, the device has the potential to have a significant impact in the Meetings and Tradeshow Industry.  At a tradeshow utilizing Mingle360’s technology, attendees and exhibitors can exchange contact information in significantly less time than it would take to exchange business cards.  Bradley Blinn, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Mingle360, describes the MingleStick’s use in a tradeshow environment, “The concept is simple: you press the button to make a connection with another MingleStick user at a tradeshow.  The idea is that attendees can connect with exhibitors and each other easily and quickly.  It’s the electronic business card concept. Whether people are at a tradeshow or a social gathering afterwards, with just a click they can create hundreds of connections.  Then, at the end of the day, they take their MingleStick and plug it into a computer and it will say, for example, ‘You have 120 new connections - login now!’  The user then logs into their account to view their connections.”

Once a user has uploaded all of their information from their MingleStick, they can view it, organize it, and share it from the Mingle360 social networking website.  Users can establish follow-up conversations with their leads long after a show has passed.  Further, users can refer friends and associates to join the site, as well as import contacts into their account, creating what Blinn refers to as a “universal address book.”  He states, “Our technology solution is built around the business and social networking concepts akin to LinkedIn and Facebook.  Our focus is on building an online address book, and, more importantly, allowing our users to make the most of their real world connections.”

When focusing on the Meetings and Tradeshow Industry, Mingle360 will promote the MingleStick to show organizers and meeting planners.  Mingle360 views their MingleStick as a sponsorship opportunity for any company that wants to advertise their product or service to an entire tradeshow audience.  A company that sponsors the use of MingleSticks at a show will receive a year of advertising, both at the show and online in different formats.  First, the MingleStick can be customized with the logo and colors of a particular company.  Second, when a user plugs his MingleStick into his computer to view, manage and organize his contacts, the sponsor’s advertising is also displayed in their Mingle360 account.  These advertisements will be active for a year post show, giving the sponsor long lasting value from his investment.  Further, any new website users referred to the site from an existing user will be exposed to the same advertisements, giving the sponsor an even further reach in its advertising campaign.  Blinn explains, “Mingle360 would be promoted to a tradeshow producer as a sponsorship opportunity for a company desiring 100% advertising penetration throughout the entire tradeshow.  For example, if Company X decides to sponsor the use of MingleSticks for a show, the devices will be branded with the company’s logo and colors -- one can imagine 3,000 people walking around clicking with each other and having Company X’s presence constantly in their hands.  Then, at the end of the day, when everyone returns to their computer and plugs in their MingleSticks, Company X’s advertising transitions to their online account for up to 12 months.  If any of these users refer friends to create a Mingle360 account, all of those people would also receive Company X’s advertising campaign.  This viral marketing enables a sponsor to reach a massive audience that originated from a single event.“

One important feature of the MingleStick is its security.  The MingleStick exchanges stored codes in contrast to a person’s actual contact information, so if a third party tries to inappropriately access the MingleStick, all they will find are ‘MingleCodes’ which would be meaningless to them.  Further, MingleSticks are individually registered to a user’s account and that person must login, via username and password, to view their connections.  Therefore, a stranger cannot find a MingleStick and upload the contacts into their account because the stick is not registered to them.

The idea of the MingleStick came from the frustration of importing data from business cards into a computerized database.  Blinn states, “It’s exciting yet frustrating at the same time, to go to these shows and see how people meet and interact – how they connect with each other.  In our observations we realized the need for a better business card.  At traditional shows, business cards are exchanged, some of them are lost, and a few are unfortunately just forgotten about.  With the MingleStick, a user simply points and clicks to create a connection.  The green light indicator lets the user know, without a shadow of a doubt, that a connection has been made.  Throughout the day, a person could easily make 20, 50, 100+ connections.  The MingleStick is a simple-to-use device that enables people to create quick, safe connections with each other.  We will help facilitate communication in a new, innovative way.”

Related Categories: Lead Retrieval, Marketing Communications, Metrics, RFID and Session Attendance