“Trade Show Badge-Activated Vender Draws Crowds At Ethernet Expo” by Emily Jed, Vending Times

NEW YORK CITY — Visitors to the Ciena Co. booth at the recent Ethernet Expo here lined up to scan their ID badges at a vending machine to receive a free t-shirt.

The machine’s touchscreen display prompted visitors to swipe their NFC badges on a card reader below. A product selection screen then appeared, from which each badgeholder could choose a t-shirt that promoted Ciena, a provider of telecommunications networking services.

vending machine

“It is a great way to give away swag and obtain ID badge information at the same time,” said Jeff Thibodeau of Innovative Vending Solutions, the Dayton, OH-based company that provided the machine for the promotion.

Vending Times profiled Innovative Vending Solutions in the May 2013 edition. The story is online here.