Maritz, an experience design company that provides event registration services, has partnered with CLEAR, an identity platform with 19 million members, to launch an identity verification solution for trade shows, corporate events and conventions. The goal: Deliver friction-free, secure customer experiences for on-site event registration.

At the recent International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) Expo! Expo!, we caught up with Maritz Vice President Product Management Aaron Dorsey and CLEAR Senior Director Channel Partnership Sam Adeyemi to find out the scoop on the new partnership and to test the tech for ourselves. Listen to our full interview here.

How it works

Prior to the event, Maritz integrates the on-site registration with CLEAR’s identity solution. Unlike CLEAR Plus, the airport subscription, both new and existing users can verify for free.

At the event, exhibitors and attendees are presented with the option to check in themselves at a designated remote space. This option requires them to verify their identity with CLEAR. Existing CLEAR users can verify within seconds by snapping a selfie while new users can enroll for free by completing a few simple steps:

1. Scan a QR code
2. Enroll with CLEAR for free
3. Enter email used for registration
4. Take selfie
5. Print badge

“Verifying with CLEAR enables an easy and secure check-in experience — and requires minimal staff assistance,” Dorsey said.

Costs

“It's really just a hardware and labor cost for us,” Dorsey explained. “There's a partner cost obviously between us (Maritz and CLEAR). It's much the same cost as we're already doing with our remote areas, so it's not going to be a big impact for our clients. That's where the focus is: how do we scale this in a meaningful way where it's not super expensive?”

Some customers have already asked about sponsorship to offset the costs, he added.

“It can be a co-branded experience,” Adeyemi said. “The thing about having CLEAR in the flow, it's a B2C brand that people recognize.”

Test case

Maritz worked with the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) to pilot CLEAR’s identity verification solution to power a seamless check-in experience for 2,708 attendees at its Nexus show, held Oct. 16-19 at the Orlando World Center Marriott in Florida. Nexus is an annual fall event that attracts member and non-member managed care decision-makers.

AMCP’s goal was to offer a frictionless onsite check-in experience that reduced wait times without sacrificing security. The group provided guests with the flexibility to print their badge in a satellite location where and when it was most convenient.

The result: 426 guests, or 17% of guests, opted to check-in themselves and verify with CLEAR.

“For most new technology, you are lucky to get 5% adoption,” Adeyemi said.

AMCP Senior Director of Meetings and Conventions Beth O’Brien said, “We introduced remote check-in at our AMCP Nexus 2023 meeting in October and it was a huge success. With 17% of attendees opting to verify with CLEAR, registration lines were minimal, ensuring a frictionless check-in experience onsite. Our attendees mentioned how fast and easy the process was, especially as many of them were already familiar with CLEAR.”

She continued, “This was a great way for AMCP to demonstrate how we are continuously evolving to meet our attendees where they are, and to make sure that their focus remains on networking and learning instead of onsite logistics. We’re looking forward to deploying CLEAR’s identity verification solution more broadly at our upcoming AMCP 2024 in New Orleans.”

What’s next

“Our goal is to make this cost-efficient for our customers to put anywhere without having to pay staff — and it's more secure than it's ever been because you're using CLEAR,” Dorsey said. “Security is top of mind for many of our clients now.”

When asked about attendees feeling apprehensive about using identity verification, Adeyemi said, “Our flow is very consent driven. They opt in and are in control of the data.”