Intel Developer Forum (IDF) 2009 - Day 1

Day 1 of IDF 2009 stated on Sept. 22 and it started off strong. The event is in the West Hall of Moscone this year and occupies all 3 levels. Registration was open earlier than 7:30am (we were there) and surprisingly, a decent crowd or registrants were around pioking up their badges and gift. For this year, nice computer shoulder bags were given with water bottles to registered attendees and I must say, these were nice. Not a cheap or low budget bag at all and I am impresed on the type of quality Intel went with this year.

The theme this year is working around whiteboards. Group collaboration, thinking out loud, ideas, and rambles in a sense. Intel is trying to promote the idea that putting ideas down for all to see can enable success, new ideas, and development. It's a great concept and with the large whiteboards placed strategically on all lobby levels, it works. The lobbies are inviting, have some demo areas with products or services to engaged attendees and limited seating. As always, keynotes, sessions, and large discussion groups are the focus here. There is an exhibit floor which Intel refers to as the Technology Showcase and it is open only during certain times of the schedule.

Intel pulled out the checkbook this year for sure. Last night's opening of the Showcase featured not only top notch exhibitors and sponsors, but new cabinets for each station (not sure if these were designed by The Taylor Group, Intel's house of choice) and much better food than before. Huge spreads of quality food from Moscone (SMG) catering instead of your basic F&B packages. Not cheap at all. It was hard to say if people were attracted to the food and drinks more than the items in the exhibitor's booths themselves. One thing to note as well is that there are no custom booth's here at this event. Intel provides the exhibitors/sponsors a packaged space made up of a system (Octanorm) extrusion and it gets larger if you of course, pay a bit more but this allows for equal exposure, space, and also make sure know one else upstages or tries to out do someone else. Other organizers practice this as well and in some circumstances, it can be an effective way to allow exhibitors to promote and sell on an even level. Another huge draw and a showing of more money spent, was the concert and performance of Maroon 5. Yes, Intel hired Maroon 5 to play in the ballrooms of the Marriott hotel last night for attendees. The mini concert was not heavily advertised (which was very smart) and it seemed to have a mixed crowd. Many attendees were wondering why this band was selected to perform for a very dynamically mixed group. There were some "older" folks that were standing in front of us complaining of the loud speakers and the bright lights and ultimately left after 30 minutes. While others just seemed out of their element in a rock concert. But, I must say, Intel again, was not afraid to pull out the checkbook.

We will back at IDF today and will have live updates via Twitter. We will also be at the CEMA networking event this evening and more details from there as well. Be sure to check back here for more observations and highlights from the various events!

Free Pass Anyone?

How many tradeshows and events have you tried to attend or just go to and check out what the cool new things that were on display? For anyone, not just tradeshow managers and event planners here, but those who are fans, or professionals, or anyone who just wants to see the latest and greatest or hear what the new trends are; do you feel a free pass to an event or show would benefit you?

Don't get me wrong here (and if you are an organizer, I am not saying this is a must), events and tradeshows still need to be profitable on a certain scale to keep production costs in line and other expenditures, but how about a free pass for others sometimes. Of course, qualifications for free passes should always be in place as you do not just want anybody roaming the show floor or conference sessions. There are many shows and events that are industry or market specific that need to qualify their attendees to ensure that the correct people are there. Granted, fees are charged to those who might want to attend a conference that is attached to the event or a technical training session and I believe those are great practices. But, what about free passes to the general public for event floor access? To see new products, talk to prospective partners and suppliers, build new relationships, and garner new knowledge. How about even allowing students access on a limited basis to help bring in the future generations and get them started and excited?

The tradeshow and event industry does need to continue to make money for sure and with the past year, it has been much harder for anyone associated with this particular industry to keep those revenues up. But, looking at the future and when things come back up, why not look into those changes? There are some organizers and producers that already incorporate this practice and it's a great thing, but there are still others who do not for whichever reasons they feel are needed. In this economic downturn, evening opening up a limited number of free passes to others could help boost revenues and interest in your event.

On that note, we will be at the Intel Developer Forum this week at Moscone in San Francisco via our complimentary pass that Intel has put out. We will be Tweeting live from the event and giving insights on our blog and what we see and hear.

Coking.com - Roundup

We apologize for not blogging on a daily basis for this event, so we will do a roundup post to cover what was going on during the week. We will get some photos up soon from the event as well.

This conference has a heavy focus on technical seminars, breakout sessions, techniques, training, and more. From morning group sessions, to training seminars, groups discussion topics, the focus here is more on the conference than the exhibition. There are only a about 20 total exhibitors this year, down from last, but good quality. Mostly portable displays and one company brought large display items for their booth. Since most of the equipment in this industry is quite large, it would not make sense to bring materials. We are talking football length and multiple story high products. None of that would fit into the 12 foot height we had.

The thing that was interesting to me, was that this is an event that is placed in a city or region where oil drilling and production is heavy, but not many local attendees where present. There were some people from Asia, some from Europe, some from South America, but none from the local area. One would think that getting in the local or regional companies and business associated with Coking would be there, but it did not seem to be the case. Given the economic times and cut backs, it makes sense that this event is down from the previous year, but you would think the reachout to the local industry would be there or at least a bit stronger.

I do like how the conference/meeting area and the exhibits were in an adjacent ballrooms, therefore not making you go far or to another part of the hotel to get to each section. This does deter attendees from going off on their own or not to a certain part of the event, which is good planning. Granted, we had to change the floor layout and was a major overhaul, it turned out great. This organizer produces multiple events around the globe and I hope they continue to grow and expand. It's a great format, good flowing agenda, and focus. The locations could be a bit better (we were not near downtown and in an industrial park area with not much around) and logistics could be stronger, but that takes time.

If you or someone you know is need of any event or tradeshow onsite support as did in Calgary, please contact us. We want to help you run a smooth and effective event, anywhere in the world.

Coking.com - Day 1

We are in Calgary, Alberta, Canada to support the Coking.com conference, exhibition, and training this week. This is a small exhibition that has as a strong focus on technical training, seminars, and conferences. We are in a small venue that is attached to a hotel and the exhibition floor is comprised of pipe and drape areas for mainly portable displays.

The day started off early with deliveries of freight to the show floor and booths. But, our morning ran into a hitch, as one of the exhibitors brought in some rather large equpiment that nobody was aware of. Long story short, this rather large piece of equipment would not be able to get into the exhibition space given the smaller confines of the hotel conference center and needless to say, the weight of the item would have caused some damage to the flooring. Let's just say, over 8,000 lbs. not including the lift that was starting to tip, onto carpet and over a dance floor. It wasn't going to happen. In the end, the item was moved into a position that was suitable for everyone involved but also caused some changes. Changes that required changing the whole floor plan and layout of the exhibition and presentation space, after it had been set.

What is Coking you might say? Well, it pertains to the petroleum and oil industry and here is a Wikipedia entry about Coking. Calgary is known for it's large petroleum refining and hence, why this event is here. In the midst of getting this event going, an article titled "Oil Sands Under Attack" was the front page headline of the business section of the local paper. The article shows how this particular industry is being looked at closely by opposition, journalists, and others and bringing this area into the spotlight, but in a negative way. Interesting timing to run a story of this nature when an event as such is happening.

So continue to read our blog here for daily updates and follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/inlineonline for show floor updates and photos.

Where In The World Is The Global Exhibition Industry?

For those of us who have been in the exhibition industry for many years, we have seen the good and the bad times. No matter what part of the exhibition industry you are involved in, you in some way, feel the ripples and effects of these ups and downs.

For those who are new to the industry or maybe have not yet experienced the rollercoaster, don't worry, your time will come. As we approach the 8 year anniversary of one of the most horrific events in history, we do reflect on the global impact that day had on not only personal lives, but how that day influenced business and how it is conducted now. Sept. 11th was huge, in so many ways, but let's look at how it changed the exhibition industry.

With 9/11 came stricter airline rules and regulations. Not only was the TSA formed and Homeland Security to enforce passenger screening, security, and safety to air travelers, but did you know how it effected your cargo? That's right, you think having to take off your shoes and scanning all your bags was bad, how about your million dollar machine that needed to fly from Atlanta to Singapore? Airlines tightened down on everything from what you listed on your documents, to things such as if your crate was heat treated and fumigated for bugs, or even if you have locks on your case. More airlines declined to take exhibition materials and some even stopped freight service to some countries. It used to be fairly easy to send smaller cargo on passenger planes, that all changed too as restrictions prevented many from making the trip. How did this make ripples in the exhibition industry you say? Well, plain and simple; new regulations made it harder and more expensive which meant less shipping to tradeshows and events.

Less people traveled after 9/11 as budgets were slashed across the board too. It was a huge blow to the exhibits industry. There was one industry that did not see a huge decline though: the aerospace and defense industry. More on that later. But, along came 2003 and the world was hit with SARS. The disease that swept through Asia and had a huge impact on global business, travel, and the world economy. Just as we were getting back on track after 9/11, this hit and caused problems for a while. This too caused crack downs from governments, transportation providers, and even vendors and suppliers. The exhibits industry quickly saw shows and events being canceled due to lack of participation and health concerns.

So then that takes us to now. Where in the US we are still officially in a recession, being hit hard by unemployment, a weak dollar, and not much spending to stimulate the economy. The exhibit industry started to see a decline towards the end of 2008 as less custom builds were being placed, rental numbers were stronger, and marketing budgets were slashed left and right. In March of 2009, the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) published a report regarding the decline of the exhibit industry and how it was it's first, since 2002. The report can be seen here. The end of 2008 was not good for many within the industry as it resulted in less participation for organizers and show producers, less booths and graphics for exhibit houses, which translates to less labor for I&D companies, which also meant less work for Union Labor, and less freight for transportation and logitics companies. I think you follow me here now. This all trickled into 2009 too as we saw companies closing their doors, cuting back, and consolidating. Just as things came back up, it went back down.

But, in July, the UFI published their 5th annual report on Asia. This report showed that in 2008, the trade fair and exhibition industry had expanded by 8.7% despite a weak global economy. Great news, for a region of the world, where was once hit hard with SARS, had a huge increase in exhibition participation and sizes. Asia and especially China has been the hot spot and in the smaller regions within China; the up and coming places to be. While the US and other regions such as Europe find it hard to attract exhibitions and participants, China seems to be drawing them in.

Which takes us to today, right at the start of the 4th quarter of the year and when exhibitions traditionally slow down. So now we look back and ahead at the same time, using data from earlier in the year to forecast and also plan for next year. Yet, another report comes via the UFI stating (via TSW) that 3 out of 4 of the world's tradeshow organizers state that revenue had declined in the first half of the year compared to last year. In addition, 4 out of 5 anticipate revenue declines for the second half of the year. Some believe we will see a recovery in 2011 or later.

The exhibition industry is not going to fade away. It is going to evolve and adapt to change with the global economy and times. Are we ever going to see the "good old days" of easy and free spending, huge expense accounts, and no quesetions asked? Most likely not, but it does mean that business is going to continue but will be conducted differently. Smaller shows perhaps, different locations, virtual events, private events, and more. Participating at exhibitions are still beneficial and key to conducting business and gaining new business, but it's just a matter of doing smarter and better.

Direct Events - Do They Work? - Nokia World 09

Many companies and organizations still attend and participate in tradeshows around the world on an annual basis and it is still an integral part of sales and marketing. But, more companies today are producing their own events that are targeted specifically at a cetain demographic, decision maker, and/or consumer. Some may say though that this is not a smart thing to do, yet others say this is the better way than a traditional tradeshow and yes, it is debateable. You have to look at it from different angles though and for some, it is the smartest thing to do with your marketing budget.

This week in Stuttgart, Germany, Nokia held the Nokia World 09 in the Messe Stuttgart ICS. The event was a conference with an area referred to as the experience lounge, various forms of entertainment, and numerous product launches and announcements. Nokia themselves refer to this as an event on their website and not a tradeshow or summit. Like many private events, this was an open invite to all with a fee for attendance. If you view the various video highlights, presentations, and keynotes posted on the site, you will find new products, partnerships, services, and announcements. Nokia has some great examples of how a great event should work. A simple, easy to understand agenda is posted for public viewing to garner attention and excitement, profiles of speakers and participants, videos from the week and keynotes, new product previews and write ups, social marketing links and options, and information that is easy to get to.

Nokia may have hit a grand slam with certain elements of the event, but not all. If you have ever been to Stuttgart and the Messe specifically, you know that this is not the ideal location for an event. Location is a key element in a direct event and it can sometimes be a deal breaker. Stuttgart is hard to get to; you have to connect in from another major airport. The Messe is not close to the city center and there is not much in the immediate area. Although, the Messe is right next to the airport which makes that convenient. To bring a large group into a small city is great for industry and tourism, but makes it tough sometimes for attendees. Perhaps Nokia could have chosen a location with ammenities and services closer to the Messe? In a conversation with a Nokia representative yesterday, the question was asked, "why was this in Stuttgart and not in Barcelona?" The short answer related to the economy and perception. Perhaps that is correct, that doing an event in Stuttgar is less expensive than Spain, but does in the long run does it make it cheaper for the attendee?

What can we take away from this event though? Does it work? When produced effectively, a private and direct event can work. Key elements to a successful event include location, timing, advertising and marketing, messaging, pricing, draw and attraction, and support. Nokia still participates at industry tradeshows throughout the year, but by holding their own event, they targeted specific people, to come and have a more intimate experience. There are many great keys to a successfule event and Nokia did utilize some of them. If you too are trying to determine if a tradeshow or direct event is the right course for you and your company, let us know. Our experiences and knowledge can help you in this determination and perhaps, create an event like Nokia's to help grow your business.