“More energy, buzz and optimism.”  Those are the operative words heard throughout Orlando’s Convention Center this week from vendors, analysts, public relations pundits and journalists attending RFID Live! – the ninth in as many years.

This year’s event attracted more exhibitors, attendees and enthusiasm than in recent years, where both the event and industry had been mirroring the general economic downturn.  Today, it seems that most everyone, whether supplying solutions for item tagging, end-to-end supply chains, cargo security or wireless social media applications, is cautiously optimistic about an uptick in business and investments.

“The industry is in the early stages of explosive growth,” Jack Farrell, Avery Dennison’s VP and General Manager, said in Tuesday’s opening.   He cited improvements in technology, plentiful returns on investment and new infusions of capital.

On the retail front, execs from Dillard’s, Macy’s, JCPenney and Wal-Mart all talked about new insights gained from projects using RFID to track not just pallets and cases but also items.  On the other end of the spectrum, more innovations are being seen around solutions monitoring the location, security and condition of in-transit containers that use all forms of RFID, GPS, SatCom and GPRS.  Analyst Russ Klein of Aberdeen Research said, “I like how we’re seeing RFID now as an expression of M2M (Machine-to-Machine) communications.”

All these are validations of an industry that is coming of age.  With greater communications from the industry, that major newspaper should retract its prediction before too long.

In launching Mark Nelson Communications, I have that confidence. Whatever arsenal of skills that I can bring to the arena are mightily fortified by an ultra talented network of Associates who are world-class communicators, strategists, marketers, analysts, writers, video and graphics artists, and more.

I know them all personally, and I have worked with them professionally. Check out their impeccable credentials under the Associates tab. Clients relying on Mark Nelson Communications’ extended network to establish, build or polish their own brands can only be thrilled with the results.

For example, Bob Basmadjian founded Spectrum Marketing nearly 20 years ago after an illustrious career in publishing. Bob is an astute strategist and tactical implementer whose clientele over the years has become a who’s who of leaders in the wireless identification and tracking industry.

Ann Grackin, CEO of Chainlink, is arguably the most knowledgeable and insightful analyst of supply chain management solutions and technologies, including Radio Frequency Identification and other wireless devices. That’s why she’s one of the most sought-after speakers, writers and consultants in the industry.

Amy Zuckerman is a highly decorated journalist who now is a world guru on supply chain security issues. Today, her “Save the Planet” initiative revolves around producing books, conferences, documentaries and strategies for her clients. She’s a whirlwind. Robert C. Yeager is both a fiction and non-fiction author, who also writes speeches for some of the world’s most notable CEOs and whose articles appear in major global publications. His calm intelligence is contagious.

I have worked closely with Bhavna Taneja at Randomline for years, and her uncanny ability to quickly grasp a concept and convert it into most any kind of visual media never ceases to amaze me. Based in Singapore, she’s fast, affordable and provides the highest quality. She helped put this web site together in a matter of hours.

Graphics Cat not only helps define and develop brands, but it also “stamps” them onto anything – hard or squishy — helping companies such as Cisco and Google to expand their already enviable images. Bruce Grimes, who scripts and produces all types of corporate videos, is a pro’s pro, having worked with a number of companies who are household names.

This is the kind of talent that stands confidently behind Mark Nelson Communications.

Having formerly headed Communications at a major RFID vendor, I have been to every one of the RFID Live! conferences since they began eight years ago. In that time, both the conference and its sister business, RFID Journal, have played an integral part in shaping, growing and maturing the RFID and related Automatic Identification and Data Collection market for both providers and end users.

Publisher and Conference Producer Mark Roberti deserves a tip of the hat for staying the course in good times and bad, unlike some of his competitors who dropped the ball when times got too tough. Anyone in this industry owes Mark a deep debt of gratitude.

The conference gets better each year, and this year should be no exception. Early on, there were grumblings of too many vendor presentations; now, the users of such technology are the mainstay of the conference, providing their unbiased views on both the triumphs and struggles of leveraging RFID-based solutions. Also, consider the preconference on the Internet of Things, and check in on the booth for DASH7, www.dash7.org, which continues to set the pace for standards-based sensor networks.

In the beginning, the show was pretty much about how passive RFID applications can be used in the retail industry to keep better track of goods shipped from distribution centers to retail outlets. A whole new world of applications has erupted since then, as is evident by the conference’s agenda this year, which includes the entire spectrum of RFID technologies, sensor networks, related wireless devices and software solutions in a wide range of markets from healthcare to oil and gas.

As someone once said, “The uses for RFID are limited only by the imagination.”

Anyone interested in the latest automated advances for improving supply chain operations, asset management and much more should be at this show. We hope to see you there.

Everyone understands the business need to control costs, especially during down times, but marketing shouldn’t automatically be one of the first on the chopping block.

First, curtailing marketing during challenging times merely reinforces perceptions that things may not be going well for such and such company. It’s noticeable when recurring ads are suddenly pulled, press announcements no longer are made or presence at key trade shows disappears. This can hurt a company’s reputation among customers, partners and prospects.

Second, maintaining or actually increasing a marketing presence during economic downturns can make a company look stronger than its competition, thereby weakening its rivals. As we like to say, “Perception is reality.” Downturns are an ideal time to increase market share, not to lay low and hope to emerge again when business turns around.

Many of the largest and most successful companies understand this, including IBM, Apple and UPS. They turn up the volume of everything from advertising to public relations when others get quieter.

We think this strategy of marketing more when times are tough should work for all kinds of companies of all sizes, whether selling to consumers, businesses or governments.