by Astrid Zeppenfeld
Tucked away in a corner of Fenton, Missouri, is a little-known company that has your back in most everything that concerns your medical meeting or event. It began as a manufacturer and distributor of name badges for the meeting industry in 1985 and has evolved into the industry leader in environmentally sustainable name badge holders, pre-printed name tags, lanyards, and accessories. So, as a sustainability-centric meeting planner, KLEERTECH is a name that everyone should be familiar with when it comes to certified green events.
Fun fact about KLEERTECH: the company has never had to advertise directly. If you make a great product, there is simply no need to market it—all your customers will advertise for you! Mike Bishop, Sales Manager and Co-Founder of KLEERTECH, discloses, “Part of that we didn’t market our product aggressively was deliberate. We were more of a manufacturer/distributor. We were the unknown behind the big names.”
In recent years, KLEERTECH has added its own software component to its services. The company developed OMNIEVENT®, a software that allows its clients to plan, execute, and follow up on their meetings and events more smoothly and seamlessly than ever before. Bob Bevans-Kerr, Executive Director of the American Association of Avian Pathologists/AAAP Foundation, runs meetings with about 700-800 attendees. Bevans-Kerr explains that they used to have a local manufacturer print badges for their events, which the AAAP then handed out at the meeting itself. He continues, “At our last meeting, we wound up in too narrow of a registration space which created a lot of congestion, so I knew I didn’t want to continue to bring the badges myself. That’s how I found KLEERTECH and its OMNIEVENT system, where our attendees go up to a kiosk, scan in their barcode or type their last name, and have badges instantly printed for them.” Bevans-Kerr sums OMNIEVENT up in one word when he says, “It was awesome.” He explains further, “It solved our congestion problem at check-in and I was very pleased with how it worked. And so were our attendees. We had four stations with kiosks for folks to self-check in. I was truly impressed with how quickly the badges printed, completely eliminating any congestion. We will definitely continue using this great solution going forward.”
“OMNIEVENT—just what the name implies”, surmises Bishop humorously. But the system his company has developed is no joke at all. Bishop explains, “We can help you with planning your event from start to finish. Our software can help you with your destination planning—your hotel and your speaker portals. With your abstracts and the speaker selection process. We are there all the way from planning through the execution stage and beyond. The supplies that you want. The after-meeting with all of your reports, certifications and continuing education credits your attendees earned at your event simply by scanning their badges at any individual session, and everything you could possibly need.”
As KLEERTECH’s clients confirm, this is not your usual supply company that prints you some badges and ships those to you, leaving you to do the rest on your own. “When that skid arrives at your event, it’s got your equipment, your badges, your badge holders, your lanyards, your ribbons, and it’s got a person who’s going to unpack and set it all up for you, process everything, and ship it all back”, assures Bishop.
Ashley Vande Bunte, Director of Meetings and Education at American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association (AOPA), describes KLEERTECH as a true partner. “We use KLEERTECH for our annual AOPA national assembly, which has been ongoing for about a hundred years and includes clinicians, researchers, manufacturers, students, and business leaders—up to about 2,000 attendees in total. The assembly itself encompasses everything from research and education to networking and clinical innovation with hands-on labs. KLEERTECH delivers a seamless experience for our attendees; essentially, the company provides registration systems for us as well as a dashboard where we can see real-time numbers in terms of attendance and budget. Our attendees are provided a barcode to quickly scan their badges, so they’re spending less time waiting in line for a more traditional registration process and they have more time for networking and educational sessions. Everybody wins because we can create a really nice experience for our attendees.” Vande Bunte elaborates, “The CE-system allows us to use their scanners to receive information from the badges so we can use that data to report to our certification bodies and ensure that our attendees receive continuing education credit for our sessions. The badges and ribbons are formatted to reflect registration type, so, for example, security at the event can tell members of our organization and exhibitors apart. What we love even more about the badges is the tickets that come on them and that can be ripped off easily for luncheons and other specific items/events.”
Kim Klyberg, CMP, DES, Meetings Systems Manager/Office of Meetings and Special Events at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, also appreciates KLEERTECH’s color coding badge options. “We have three color codings, so we know whether someone paid the registration fee, just pre-registered, or is part of the press team.” She further explains, “Some of these badges may have a tiny code on them, which signifies that those people need a ribbon. If you’re a speaker, you get a different ribbon and all of that gets identified at the meeting. And if people are a member, we add an additional icon to the badge.” Klyberg concludes, “And KLEERTECH is able to handle all of that. We haven’t had any problems; the billing is straightforward and it’s been really easy to work with them.”
Indispensible Partner
One of the words that planners use to describe KLEERTECH’s services, especially its new OMNIEVENT software, is indispensible. Manisha Bhaskar, Chief Communications and Strategy Officer for the American Academy of Orthotists & Prosthetists (AAOP), states, “I truly consider them an indispensable extension of our team. What sets Omnievent apart is their thoroughness and thoughtfulness. Each year, they proactively offer smart, tailored recommendations to help us continuously refine and enhance our registration experience—for both our attendees and our internal team. It’s a rare feeling of security to know we’re working with a company that not only executes logistics flawlessly, but also understands the big picture and anticipates our evolving needs.
I especially appreciate that they don’t operate like a vendor—they operate like a true partner. From the first planning call to the final reporting email, the Omnievent team is responsive, detail-oriented, and invested in the success of our event.”
Partner, not supplier or vendor, is the other way KLEERTECH’s customers describe its services and benefits to their meetings. Bhaskar urges other meeting and event planners, “If you’re looking for a registration partner who can handle the details while helping you elevate the entire attendee experience, OMNIEVENT is the team to call. They bring both strategic insight and operational excellence—and that combination is hard to find.
I recommend OMNIEVENT for thoughtful recommendations that improve the process year after year, flawless execution, onsite and off, seamless tech integration, and a partner mindset that makes all the difference.”
KLEERTECH is your partner at your organization’s future events, no matter how big or small they may be!
Astrid Zeppenfeld is MEET’s Senior Editor from St. Louis.
Contact Information
Mike Bishop
Sales Manager/KLEERTECH
Email: mikeb@kleertech.com
Toll Free 877-55BADGE (877-552-8953)
MEET Med
For 20+ years, the MEET family of products have provided regional and national resources that have kept corporate, association, medical, education, independent, and religious meeting and event planners informed about relevant vendors, industry news, tech innovations, and resources that impact and influence how and where they plan their group business.
For 20+ years, the MEET family of products have provided regional and national resources that have kept corporate, association, medical, education, independent, and religious meeting and event planners informed about relevant vendors, industry news, tech innovations, and resources that impact and influence how and where they plan their group business.
