Arrangements to identify, in some form, multiple participants by an interactive surface system utilizing multi-touch technology are disclosed. The interactive surface system could identify authorize and allocate space on a surface for a participant based on identifying at least one attribute of the participant such as an object associated with the participant. The method can include searching for a first distinctive attribute of the entity and assigning an identifier to the attribute and storing the identifier for future use the operating the interactive surface based on the participant's identity and location. Other embodiments are also disclosed.