Badges, he says, should detail the attendee's first name in at least 36-point type, which is a half-inch tall, followed below in 24-point type by full name, title, company, city and state.

WSJ: Conventional Wisdom: Nametags Say a Whole Lot About You

Badges used to be pinned on an attendee's shirt, he recalls, and industry experts debated endlessly about whether the badge should be attached on the right or the left, thus easily viewed when shaking someone's hand.

WSJ: Conventional Wisdom: Nametags Say a Whole Lot About You

Kris Harter, a chemist and DragonCon attendee, says it's not always easy for the two groups to get along, but there's enough room for everyone.

CNN: Nerds and jocks getting along?

His daughter, Elizabeth Santorum, was a regular attendee at meetings of Republican women's groups over the summer, and Mr. Santorum was the only candidate to speak to the state's most influential activists at a banquet in May.

WSJ: Romney's Rivals on Right Look to South Carolina

If one compares those figures to the fact that more than 65 percent of caucus-goers that year were over 45 years old, it's easy to understand why courting the traditional Iowa caucus attendee can prove more successful than relying on college-age voters.

CNN: Iowa students could sway caucuses, if they show up