The 23rd edition of RFID Journal LIVE! 2025 is beginning to take shape and the expansion into the healthcare and food sectors is explored during the two-day conference.
The world’s largest conference and exhibition focused on radio frequency identification and related technologies, LIVE typically features more than 100 exhibitors from 26 countries showcasing best-in-class RFID tags, readers, software and implementation services.
The show in 2025 will be held May 6-8 at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas, NV. The 2025 conference will include three days of industry-specific and how-to tracks, as well as general education for those new to the RFID market.
Conference tracks and education sessions give participants the opportunity to hear compelling case studies, share best practices, network with their peers and learn about the latest technological advances from the vendor community.
Healthcare, Food and Pharma Exploration
There are two tracks focused on healthcare, pharmaceuticals and food.
The first is Utilizing Cutting-Edge Solutions in Healthcare, Food and Pharma and it takes place on Wednesday, May 7. There’s a revolution taking place in healthcare, perishable goods, and drug discovery and development. In this track we cover a number of initiatives including agri food supply chains, using RFID to manage high value pharmaceuticals at healthcare facilities and hospitals, and standards-based RFID implementations for perishable goods.
The second track of interest to this sector takes place on Thursday, May 8 and it’s called Navigating Healthcare, Food and Retail Compliance. It’s a 2-hour workshop on automatic data-sharing processes and architecture, focusing on standards, to enable compliance.
Track: Utilizing Cutting-Edge Solutions in Healthcare, Food and Pharma
Session Title: Revolutionizing Agri Food Systems with RFID
Date: May 7, 8:45 AM
Speaker: Ultan McCarthy, Lecturer, South East Technological University (SETU)
Description: In the modern era of supply chain management for the agriculture, food and biologic sectors, RFID technology plays a transformative role in improving transparency and traceability. Focusing on agriculture, food and the broader biologic sectors, this session will provide attendees an overview of how they have benefitted from adopting RFID technology at some point across their value chain. Gain an understanding of the key decisions prior to adoption, as well as how organizations are deploying the technology today.
Session Title: Fireside Chat: Leveraging RAIN RFID for Managing High-Dollar Inventory for Infusion and Oncology Clinics
Date: May 7, 9:35 AM
Speaker: TJ Bozada, Product Manager, Bluesight
Tyler Wilson, Clinical Pharmacist, Sentara Hospital
Aileen Ryan, President, RAIN Alliance
Description: Managing high-cost medications in infusion and oncology clinics presents unique challenges, from inventory visibility and cost control to regulatory compliance and waste reduction. In this insightful fireside chat, executives from Bluesight and Sentara Health will discuss innovative RAIN RFID driven solutions that help healthcare providers track, optimize, and secure their most valuable pharmaceutical assets.
Key takeaways include:
- How automation and RFID technology improve inventory accuracy and drug utilization
- Strategies to reduce waste and prevent diversion of high-dollar medications
- Real-world insights from Sentara Health on managing high value inventory
- The future of data-driven medication management in specialty care settings
Session Title: RFID for Perishable Goods: Resources for Food and Healthcare
Date: May 7, 10:25 AM
Speaker: Jonathan Gregory, Director, Global Standards, GS1 US
Craig Alan Repec, Senior Manager, Supply Chain Visibility, EPCIS & RFID, GS1 Global Office
Description: From reducing waste to protecting consumers and patients, there are tremendous opportunities to better manage perishable goods, be it in food, pharma, or even health and beauty. This session will explore the significant ROI afforded by standards-based RFID implementations and will showcase practical tools to help accelerate adoption.
Session Title: From Pilot to Practice: RFID’s Role in Pharma Supply Chains
Date: May 7, 11:15 AM
Speaker: Bahar Aliakbarian, Senior R&D Director, Associate Professor, Axia Institute- Michigan State University
John Hatfield, Executive Director, Axia Institute- Michigan State University
Description: RFID technology offers far more than just traceability in the pharmaceutical supply chain—it enables real-time monitoring, rapid exception identification, and proactive issue resolution as products move between locations. In this session, Dr. Bahar Aliakbarian, Senior R&D Director, and John Hatfield, Executive Director, of Michigan State University’s Axia Institute, will explore the transformative impact of RFID implementation in the pharmaceutical industry. They will discuss the critical role of stakeholder engagement in successful RFID adoption and share key insights from Axia’s real-world pharma end-to-end RFID pilot project. Attendees will learn valuable lessons gained from the decision-making process, uncovering essential factors that drive successful technological deployment across different organizations.
Track: Navigating Healthcare, Food and Retail Compliance
Session Title: Workshop: The Evolution of Data Carriers and EPCIS to help meet Supply Chain Regulation in Food, Pharma, and Retail
Date: May 8, 9:15 AM -11:15 AM
Speaker: Lucelina Angarita, Supply Chain Visibility Director, GS1 US
Jonathan Gregory, Director, Global Standards, GS1 US
Andrew Meyer, Director, Global Standards, GS1 US
Amy Reiter, Senior Director Community Engagement – Apparel & General Merchandise, GS1 US
Description: The food, pharmaceutical, and retail industries have been leaders in the use of barcodes at scale, innovation of sensor technology, and use of RFID for automation in critical applications like inventory management, medication dispensing, and cold chain. Data-sharing processes and architecture, built on a foundation of standards, are the connective tissue that holds this network of solutions together. Now regulatory demands in the food, pharma and retail industries are a driving force pushing this even further. Discover how different technologies and standards are being deployed across several industries to help with regulatory compliance.
Join traceability experts from GS1 US as they guide you through a hands-on workshop that provides the base knowledge that you’ll need on GS1 Standards and how they can help with traceability. You will also experience the complexity of capturing this data manually and understand how data carriers and automation will help.
Others tracks to be held during the conference include:
- Tell Me More: Innovative Use Cases in Retail
- Digital Product Passport: Gateway to Sustainability, Transparency
- Beyond The Pilot: Real World Implementations and Outcomes in Manufacturing
- IoT, ChatGPT? Blockchain? AI? NLP? What Do I Do with This Stuff
- Enhancing Supply Chain Resilience: What’s AI And ML Got to do With It?
- Digital Doppelgangers: Powering Operations with Digital Twins and Gen AI
- DOGE Ready: Harnessing Technology to Improve Efficiency in Government and Aerospace
Training Opportunities
In addition to track sessions, LIVE! 2025 will present an advanced, one-day fast-track RFID certification course, presented by RFID4U, covering the latest equipment and relevant RFID deployment scenarios. This course will provide a solid foundation to design, install, configure, monitor and troubleshoot RFID deployment, as well as prepare participants for the RFID Professional Institute Certified Associate exam. Each participant will receive a voucher to take the exam online, after the event.
Another offering is RAIN Alliance Training, presented by RAIN Alliance, and the RAIN Alliance Sustainability and Circularity Community. As companies face increasing pressure to meet sustainability targets and build more resilient operations, understanding how RAIN technology can support these goals is essential — especially in light of evolving regulatory requirements and shifting consumer preferences toward the circular economy. Whether you’re managing projects, optimizing supply chains, or driving corporate sustainability goals, these sessions offer actionable insights and hands-on strategies tailored to your needs.
RFID Journal Awards
The awards, in their 19th year, recognize outstanding achievements in RFID and related technologies. The RFID Journal Awards honors companies that have distinguished themselves by their successful use of RFID, Internet of Things (IoT) technologies or the introduction of a valuable new RFID or IoT product or service.
These prestigious awards honor organizations and innovators who have successfully leveraged RFID and IoT technologies to transform operations, enhance efficiency, and achieve remarkable results. The awards cover seven categories this year.
- Best Manufacturing or IIoT Implementation: Recognizing the manufacturer with the most effective use of RFID, IIoT, NFC, or related technology.
- Best Retail Implementation: Honoring the retailer or brand owner with the best deployment of RFID, IoT, NFC, or related technology.
- Best Supply Chain/Logistics Implementation: This award will be given to the end-user company that has demonstrated the best use of RFID, IoT, NFC, or related technology to improve its logistics or supply chain operations, including warehouse and distribution center operations.
- Best Healthcare Implementation: Awarded to the end-user company (e.g., hospital, clinic, or pharmaceutical firm) with the most transformative use of RFID, IoT, or NFC.
- Best RFID Implementation (Other Industry): Open to end-user companies in any industry showcasing exceptional applications of RFID, IoT, NFC, or similar technologies.
- Best RFID/IoT/AI Implementation: Award recognizes organizations that have successfully integrated RFID, IoT or AI technologies to achieve transformative results.
- The Best New Product Award: The award will be given to the company that exhibits the best new RFID, IoT, NFC, or related technology product or service. To qualify for the award, the product must have been introduced after April 11, 2024.