I like the nametag idea
But until that starts to happen, I'll have to go with the honesty / make light of it approach.
One thing that I do is write down as much as I can, especially after getting back from an event where I meet a lot of people, I'll sit down and write their names and a little bit about them in my journal. I still forget names, but at least I know where I can go to look them up.
Also, looking at it from an intention/manifestation point of view, stop _telling_ yourself that you're so bad with names (I'm definitely guilty of this one).