Best In Show - CeBIT 2009

With so much to see at CeBIT, how does one product stand out in the masses of new products?

The crowd around a small booth in Hall 2 listened as a representative from PhotoFast outlined the capabilities of their latest product CR-7200 Quad Slot microSD(HC) to CF Adapter. The adapter accepts up to four 32GB microSD(HC) cards for a total capacity of 128GB. That would be great to slip into the CF Type II slot of my Nikon D200! Even better than the capacity are the 80MB/s read and 40MB/s write speeds. So much in such a small package. Check out PhotoFast Web site at www.photofast.tw

Stupid Tradeshow Booth Planning

CeBIT 2009. For the amount of money a vend or spends on a booth at CeBIT you would expect more planning to go into it. No photos to protect the guilty, but I lost count of how many corner booths that did not have the company name on each side. If I have to walk 20 extra feet at CeBIT to find the name of the company, that is 20 feet too much.

On a brighter note, CeBIT is so different than any other trade show when the official end of the day comes. The place is party city. Every night of the week, in every hall there was a party. Bands, dancers, beer and and more beer. Never happen in a US based event. Of course, spending most of my time in Hall 11 allowed me to have fun at the ESET party with live band, Gdata seemed to have a show every night and then there was the Kaspersky bash. If you didn’t get a chance to say “hello” to someone during the day you would most certainly run into them after hours.

Still lots of competition from the vendors in Hall 11 to see who had the bigger shopping bag. I think ESET won, but it was almost too big to carry. My favorite was the shopping bag from the openoffice.org group.

I still wonder though why everyone is interested in shopping bags. So many are in the garbage due to walking the floor and upgrading your bag on the way. The goal is to get a strong canvas one and leave all the paper bags behind.

So, my first experience at CeBIT was a good one. I’d go again. If not for the bags, bands or beer.

Andy

Technorati Tags: CeBIT,Hannover Germany,Kaspersky Labs,Gdata,eset,Hall 11,beer

Trade Show Observations - Coffee, Tea or Sell Something

Once again I'll make an observation on what some vendors are doing to attract prospects. Let's see if this makes sense. This observation was made in April 2008 during the Information Security Europe 2008 Conference.

The latest trend is to have a coffee bar setup in your booth. A nice shiny brass coffee machine or espresso/cappuccino maker fills a corner of the booth. What's great about the venue of this event (for the last time) is the ability to view the entire show floor from the balcony of the Olympia.

It is very easy, from the balcony to see, how the vendors make every mistake in the book when they have coffee in the booth. What you will observe first is every staff member of the booth has a cup in his or her hand. WRONG! Booth workers SHOULD NOT be drinking the coffee during show floor hours. There is one exception will get to in a minute. Eating or drinking anything in the booth with prospects walking by is a huge no-no.

The next scenario which is also pretty obvious shows the booth workers are more interested in how the coffee make works than there own products. In some cases I found they knew more about the coffee maker than their own product. The rule should be no hanging around the coffee pot unless you are preparing a cup for a qualified prospect.

New Rule: If the person you are offering the coffee to is not a qualified prospect then your booth is only function as a coffee shop. Offering a cup of coffee to everyone that walks buy only promotes the java beans (pun intended) not your product or service. Take the cost of your booth including peoples time and your cup of coffee will actually cost more than at Starbucks and that ain't cheap.

If you want to offer a coffee service in your booth do so for all the right reasons. When you greet a prospect ask your initial qualifying questions... remember BANT (go here for a slightly different approach to BANT) from sales training? Budget, Authority, Needs and Time Frame. Once you have qualified the prospect offer them a cup of coffee. Have a small table that a person can stand or sit at with you for a brief overview of their needs and how your product, solution or service can fulfill their needs. Sitting with them will help you make them feel special and not just a coffee shop customer. While at the table it is pretty easy to fill in the your lead book and set a follow-up time with the prospect. It is perfectly OK at this point for you to join the prospect with a cup of coffee.

Let's revue the rules:

1. No eating or drinking by the booth staff at anytime during show floor hours
2. Booth Staff should know more about their product, solution or service than the do the coffee machine.
3. Offer a cup of coffee to pre-qualified prospects. Every person who shows interest in stopping at your booth should pass the BANT criteria.
4. It is OK to have a cup of coffee with a prospect that has the time to sit and discuss their needs and you give them the time to explain how your solution fills their needs.
5. I only drink decaffeinated coffee - think about this when you offer your prospect the next cup.
   

Following the rules gives your booth a professional look, makes the prospect feel special and will provide high quality leads for your sales team to follow-up on.

Andy

Downtown Ottawa Canda

Downtown Ottawa Canda
Originally uploaded by njtrout_2000

The view of the Parliament Complex in Ottawa, Ontario Canada, This was the view from my room on the 9th floor. Great area to walk around in and some superb restaurants.

Andy

Lee Valley - Favorite Place to Shop

Recently I attended a conference in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Not only was I anticipating attending a great conference, but also an opportunity to visit the corporate store of Lee Valley.

Lee Valley manufactures and sells some of the best woodworking equipment, hardware fixtures and gardening tools in the world. I am a huge fan and try to visit a store whenever I am in Canada. They offer the best mail order service to the US and other parts of the world. Customer service is THE model every organization should strive for.

If you drool over their catalogs, be prepared with a large towel to wipe your sell when you enter their stores.

Andy

Trinkets and Trash - Another Trade Show Obsession

Some time I wish the vendors who hand out all sorts of gifts also knows as "trinkets and trash" or chachke would look around to see what happens to it during the trade show. Take for instance an observation I made at the a security industry event this year. (Can be any industry trade show.) As you entered the main room, your badge is scanned and you are handed a well made shopping bag advertising one of the events sponsors and exhibitors. The bag is brightly colored to resemble the product packaging. In other words it was a bag made to look like the product box. Well think of how this can go wrong for you the sponsor?

Well into the first day of the event the cleaning staff began to collect the garbage from the strategically placed garbage cans and pour it into big dumpsters. The cleaning staff then pushes the ful dumpster through the venue to the exit. What do you think is the most notable feature sticking out of the garbage pile? You guessed it -- the brightly colored shopping bag printed to resemble the product box. I'm sure that was not the image the marketing team wanted. Many more were lying around the trade show floor or traded in (to the garbage) for a much sturdier cloth bag from a differnt vendor. Personally, I prefer the cloth bags. They can be reused at home for all sorts of purposes. My family gets lots of use out of them and of course helps to advertise the high tech product during the summer at the local swimming pool.

Anyone want a pen? There are cheap pens, good pens and really excellent pens given away at trade shows. I don't think I've personally bought a pen or for that matter a mouse pad, notepad, key chain, badge holder, cold drink cozy etc. in 20 years. In fact my entire "home" office is adorned with all those trinkets. Are they serving there desired purpose. Hell no! I just need a new mouse pad at home and a key chain to store the lawn mower keys.

Marketers think twice about what you give-away. Select a really decent pen, with some heft to it, with blue ink and your logo engraved, not printed on it (last much longer) and I'll visit your booth. I really don't need another paperclip magnetic holder, cheap notepad, use once and throw away calculator and so on. OK, I do like the self stick notes :-)

Next time we'll discuss the latest gimmick to draw visitors into your booth. The coffee bar.

Andy

A Haunting We Will Go

Visit one of my favorite books shop, Mechanicsburg Mystery Bookshop on Saturday, October 19 to learn about haunted locations in South Central Pennsylvania.

Visit the store online at http://mysterybooksonline.com. In the area, drive to the store and browse through shelves of the best new, old and used mystery books. I'm a huge Sherlock Holmes fan and they have an excellent inventory of books on the great detective. You can also find them at LibraryThings.com at http://www.librarything.com/venue/31533/Mechanicsburg-Mystery-Book-Shop.

Andy

Iron, Chromium and the American Presidency

In his article on September 13, 2008, "Making America Stupid" NY Times Op-Ed writer Thomas Freidman writes "And imagine for a minute what these observers would have been doing when Rudy Giuliani led the delegates in a chant of “drill, baby, drill!”. Mr, Friedman goes on to state they were also thinking about the US lust for more oil and not interested in "kicking the habit.

What else should we as Americans be thinking about? Strategic minerals reserves.

Look to the sources of our strategic mineral reserves. Strategic mineral reserves are defined as "minerals not found or produced domestically in sufficient quantities to meet our needs in times of foreign threats to national security and/or the economy". (1) Our strategic mineral reserves come from countries that we are not always on the most friendly terms with, but come they must. Our reliance on minerals in all our manufacturing industries is huge. From the production of specialty steel used in surgical instruments to cans soup sold in the supermarket. We use minerals...literally by the ton. Those minerals are imported. Needless to say international relations are partly based on the strategic need for a particular counties non-energy mineral resources.

For an understanding of the US inventory of mineral reseources go to the USGS Minerals Information: Minerals Yearbook. Another excellent reference is the online publication of Minerals, Critical Minerals, and the U.S. Economy by the Committee on Critical Mineral Impacts of the U.S. Economy, Committee on Earth Resources, National Research Council.

Next ask yourself the question "What has the current President done with our strategic mineral resources? Buy or sell?

Andy

(1)U.S. RELIANCE ON AFRICA FOR STRATEGIC MINERALS, The Marine Corps Command and Staff College, Quantico, Virginia, Major R.A. Hagerman, United States Marine Corps, April 6, 1984

Stupid Cellphone Sightings

Proof that drivers on their cell phones are not aware of their surroundings occurred today while driving back to the office from lunch. Approaching a very busy intersection, four lanes in my direction, both outside lanes turning lanes, I noticed a truck with Hazmat placards on it in the center left lane set to go through the intersection. The placard note the truck was carrying Class 1 - Explosives Division 1.1 Explosives with a mass explosion hazard. Here is a list of what could have been in the truck: Listing of Class 1 materials

I have no problem with the truck transporting hazardous materials. It was the minivan with the soccer mom who pulled up behind it I have the problem with. Initially she stopped a reasonable distance behind the truck, also right next to me. She was chatting on her cell phone and I could see a little one in the back seat strapped into a car seat. As we waited for the light to change, she gradually inched her way all the way up to the bumper of the truck carrying the explosives. Of course chatting on the cell phone the whole time. Had she been hit from behind at this close range, surely there would have been injuries, but who knows what cold have happened to the load of hazardous materials. DUMB, DUMB and DUMBER.

The driver of the minivan clearly needs to take a defensive driving class. Go to the National Safety Council for their list of Defensive Driving courses.

I'm pretty sure the driver of the truck carrying the explosives has had much training on transporting and handling the materials. Too bad the general public is clueless to protecting their own safety, that of their passengers and all others around them.

Andy

An Odyssey continues - Arthur C. Clarke

A wonderful writer, scientist and explorer, Arthur C. Clarke has passed on. I wonder where his journey will take him now.

He created this video on his 90th birthday. His words and wishes should be heard the world over.

I read 2001: A Space Odyssey a very long time ago before seeing the movie adaptation and at the age of 11 made perfect sense to me. I still meet so many people who have no clue to what the movie was about. My explanation goes like this. The movie is broken into three parts. Each one is an attempt to explain the origins of man. Sounds simple? It is.

Follow these links to learn more about Arthur Clarke, his life and work.

The Arthur C. Clarke Foundation
Wikipedia - Arthur C. Clarke

Clarke's Three Laws

Clarke formulated the following three "laws" of prediction:

1. When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.
2. The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.
3. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

Although not a quote from Clarke, he truly believed and lived his life as this quote from from Charles Kettering:

"My interest is in the future, because I'm going to spend the rest of my life there."

God Speed, Arthur

Andy