[BC] Re: NAB ??? The Cyber way

[Jeff Welton]

On Thu, Mar 12, 2009 at 12:24 PM, <Xmitters at aol.com> wrote:

> So let's put on  our creativity hats and see what we can come up with. The
> only way I can see a new transmitter for example, is to go to the show, go
> to
> the factory, or go to a station that has one. It's a false dilemma to me.
>  Gott
> a be more ways than that.
>

Keeping in mind that the human critter is very tactile by nature, really the
only reason to go to a show is to get the face time (which could also be
done in a personal visit) and to touch, feel, smell the equipment.  If the
sense of touch was removed from the equation, there is no reason the product
couldn't be released virtually - such as we did with our recent NV series
product release... http://www.nautel.com/webinar/ (the webinar file is a big
sucker, I found it actually was faster to download and watch rather than
trying to watch online).
Commercialism aside, most new product releases could be done with a series
of webinars.  The hiccup is that a webinar takes about 30 minutes to attend.
 You can get a much more personalized rundown at a booth in 10 minutes, then
determine the level of detail you want from there.  An online presentation
is, by definition, pretty much predetermined - if there is a large audience,
you will sit through a fair amount of stuff that may not interest you to get
to the things that do.  To do it one on one (or one on ten) like we do at
the NAB, would be very difficult in a virtual environment - not impossible,
just very difficult.  In spite of all our moaning about cost, the NAB is
probably one of the most efficient ways of getting the maximum amount of
face time with the maximum amount of interested people. That doesn't mean
that we won't prime the pump by trying to create interest virtually (as
above), but the personal time, as others have indicated, is the real value
of the show.

As far as Vegas itself goes, I was there in January on vacation (my wife was
playing in a hockey tournament there, so I tagged along as a cheerleader).
 It was the first time I'd ever been there when I wasn't working - there's
actually quite a lot to see!  We spent a day hiking Red Rock Canyon, another
touring the dam, and another messing around in the desert. Got to assist in
a helicopter rescue in Red Rock (we both have SAR backgrounds), got to see a
lot of things that I've never had a chance to see during the show, and
discovered that there is a whole lot of Vegas beyond the Strip.  I'm not
much a city type, but it was pretty cool.

Ultimately, there will always be a need for a large show. Virtual offerings
can help for isolated requirements, but to put the whole kit 'n' kaboodle
together in such a way as to provide the vast offering of products and
services that end up under the LVCC is probably beyond the capability of the
infrastructure at this point.

Just some thoughts...

Best,

Jeff

Jeff Welton
Regional Sales Manager - Central U.S.
Nautel
Toll Free: 877-662-8835, ext. 5127
Direct: 902-823-5127
Cell: 902-489-1635

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