ATTN Advertisers…Ron is on the money, save yourself a pile of $$$

[Brendan Coots]

Testify.

Who doesn’t prefer to shop without the pressure of some sales guy breathing down your neck feeding you cherry-picked stats and perfect-world scenarios?

The internet is THE perfect place to research, compare and find out what others think of products before making a decision. It’s also pretty indisputable that better deals can be had online once you ARE ready to buy.

I would only add that we should all start taking it a step further and shop at smaller online retailers (where possible) instead of the tried and true sources like B&H. The increased competition will help to drive prices down across the board.

Brendan Coots
Splitvision Digital
http://www.splitvisiondigital.com

[Nick Griffin]

I believe that I’ve read most of these posts about the value of NAB and trade shows in general and perhaps I’ve missed it, but the ONE thing that hasn’t been said should be.

Sure there are things that we go to trade shows with the intention of seeing, touching, learning about, etc. But one of the major benefits of shows, be it NAB or MacWorld or AES is the stuff that we DIDN’T know about or expect. Have you ever been to a trade show where you DIDN’T learn something you hadn’t known before? How about the magic of smaller products and smaller companies? Yes you can find things on the web, but usually you have to be looking for them. At a show you can discover new things around almost every corner, stuff that you otherwise might not even know existed.

Apple and FCP may not need NAB now, but they certainly benefited from the visibility and credibility of the show when just starting out.

[Walter Biscardi]

[Nick Griffin] “Have you ever been to a trade show where you DIDN’T learn something you hadn’t known before? How about the magic of smaller products and smaller companies?”

Every time. Years ago I discovered the Flying Cam remote controlled helicopter camera and used it immediately on a project. Three years ago a D.P. found Silicon Color and Final Touch HD for me. I found SyncVUE on one trip just walking the floor. Found Anthro two years ago and now have three of their editing consoles. Found all my Music Libraries that way.

This is what I call the “halo” effect that Avid and Apple had. Thousands of people come to see their booths, but then you inevitably walk the show floor and find all kinds of nuggets. There are all sorts of small things around the show floor and that’s the main reason why I’m spending the money to bring my other editor along to the show as well. I’m going to be speaking in a lot of booth’s, but I don’t want to miss any nuggets that might be available to us.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Biscardi Creative Media
HD and SD Production for Broadcast and Independent Productions.

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[Ron Lindeboom]

God I love ya, Nick. I hope you know that. ;o)

But I learn about new things almost daily on the net and I don’t even have to leave the comfort of my LL Bean PJs and comfy cow slippers to do so. And instead of sipping a $7.50 cup of coffee while eating an $8 doughnut as I walk the show floor, I can sip some fresh ground beans made the way I really like it and I can forgo the doughnut for something a lot tastier and better for me.

On a serious note, I agree with you that I have never been to a tradeshow where I didn’t learn about something very cool that I did not know about before. Often times, something VERY cool.

But…

I remain unconvinced that the value of the odd discovery is enough to justify the costs of a show like NAB.

Your mileage obviously differs, (though which of us is driving the Yugo remains one for debate and based on one’s personal driving habits).

Best regards,

Ron Lindeboom
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronlindeboom
Publisher, Creative COW Magazine
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[Mark Suszko]

Nick, this happened to me one year in the 80’s, going to the Swiderski show in Chicago, which may be as close to something like NAB as I ever get (God, I miss those guys). It was at that show, where I went looking for early desktop video gear, that I discovered Holtz demoing Pinnacle’s Alladin at a super-tiny booth. I rushed home with brochures and data and really sold my boss on the thing, and it catapulted our operation into a whole new level of production. We soon bought a second one. We still use them every day too!:-)

[Rich Rubasch]

Continuing Nick’s perspective, last NAB was my first and besides the show floor, I bought the Supersession package. Every morning I went down and got to hear some industry leaders look to the future. It was worth it and broke up the day from just trudging around the floor.

Also I was able to hear Genelec speakers firsthand. Maybe the floor is not the best acoustically, but it was a great experience and really showed me what that brand is all about.

I also got that firsthand look at some of the new flat panels, and a comparison of the various new cameras and their codecs. I live in Madison WI and there just isn’t a showroom in a 250 mile radious that I would be able to see this stuff.

I also walked around the production area (I’m more of a post shopper) and saw lots of gear that was all new to me.

I think the suggestion of Macworld as a destination might be a better fit and I love SanFran.

There is the attendees perspective and the exhibitor’s perspective. I think the exhibitor’s have a stronger argument for not going. With the major players pulling out, maybe this is a good year for the small guys to either upgrade their space for no extra cost, or get a sweet deal.

Glass still half full,

Rich Rubasch
Tilt Media

[Ron Lindeboom]

[Rich Rubasch] “With the major players pulling out, maybe this is a good year for the small guys to either upgrade their space for no extra cost, or get a sweet deal.”

NAB doesn’t give sweetheart deals, that is why the majors pulled out.

I won’t tell you what they usually pay but trust me on this, Apple pays so little to go to many shows that you and I often pay more to attend the show. That’s the power you get when you can deliver 30,000 people or more to a show.

But the best thing about last year for us, Rich, was working with you at the booth. It was great to finally meet you after all these years of interacting. *That* is the part of the shows that never got old and that we will indeed miss greatly.

The burn-out, the bad food during the day, the noise, the high costs, none of that will we miss. But the people like you, that is really something that we will miss.

It was truly an honor to meet you and have a chance to talk during your time in the booth, Rich.

Best regards,

Ron Lindeboom
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronlindeboom
Publisher, Creative COW Magazine
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[Randall Raymond]

[Ron Lindeboom] “NAB doesn’t give sweetheart deals”

You know what, Ron, no one does. Every association or society or blah blah blah in ‘conjunction’ with an association or society does not give deals. They depend on their shows for the profits to carry on.

Nevada is a ‘right to work’ state – you want to see high labor rates? Come to Detroit, Chicago or New York. The space rate charged by the show is incidental.

You don’t know how good you had it in Vegas. Here’s an example, I had an Austrian client who racked up an 80k carpenter bill for setting up his 30x30ft exhibit at the SAE show in Detroit. 80K. Sure, there were mitigating circumstances – such as, their liaison acting and sounding like Arnold, your governor, and really pissing the crew off, but hey, if any of you Coliefornia cookies act up, you’re gonna pay in the same way. Welcome to trade shows.

[Steve Wargo]

[Randall Raymond] “Nevada is a ‘right to work’ state “

Are you sure about that? There’s union facilities everywhere. The Convention Center is union among many others. the last time we shot a show at the Flamingo, we had to hire a union shadow (at $40 per hour each) for each crew person we had on sight. And don’t dare ask them to do anything or it will really cost ya.

Steve Wargo
Tempe, Arizona
It’s a dry heat!

Sony HDCAM F-900 & HDW-2000/1 deck
5 Final Cut (not quite PRO) systems
Sony HVR-M25 HDV deck
2-Sony EX-1.

[Ron Lindeboom]

Randall:

The profits to merely “carry on,” eh? I think that NAB is “carrying on” quite nicely, thank you, and is becoming increasingly accustomed to the style in which they growingly aspire to merely carry on. ;o)

Over the years, I have done shows and paid fees in Los Angeles, New York City, New Orleans, Reno, Nashville and Las Vegas. Of them all, New York is by far the most expensive. But I don’t think that Las Vegas is cheap by any means. In fact, it too is becoming increasingly expensive — so much so that it is just another facet of the cost that is helping to destroy these kinds of shows and in doing so, is putting people out of work.

Don’t think so? Read the MSNBC story in which the Consumer Electronics Show talks about their reasons for getting out of Las Vegas after the next show.

But for many companies it’s the space rates that are the biggest rate charged by the show and you think it incidental, eh? I know companies in this industry that tell me quite regularly that the cost of their booth is a year-to-year item. What do I mean by that? Merely that it costs them the year in front of them to hopefully generate the dollars to pay for the booth rental they just did.

Hardly incidental.

Some of these companies are waking up to the fact that it’s a ridiculously expensive treadmill and are beginning to refuse to play. Bravo, me says. I wondered how long it was going to take and I applaud Apple and Avid and know they are just the signal fires of what lies ahead for NAB if the organization doesn’t start weighing their real needs against their apparent greed. Yes, there is greed regularly found in even supposed non-profit organizations. Happens all the time.

As I said before, DV Expo once filled both of the huge halls in the Los Angeles Convention Center, occupying both exhibit levels of each hall and even the basement for registration. The walkways, upper and lower, between the two halls, were used for classrooms and meetings. It was huge. It was increasingly expensive. Companies found other ways to reach the audience. The last few years it has gotten so small you need a flashlight, a magnifying glass and a guide just to find it. Another year or two and I predict that they will blow out the candle on that one.

Ditto for SIGGRAPH which continues to shrink from its halcyon days of yore when they could fill all the halls of the New Orleans Convention Center and the Los Angeles Convention Center. Today, they could bring that show here to San Luis Obispo County and I think we could accommodate them here in the boonies of nowheresville.

If NAB doesn’t listen to the market, then they will find that in not learning from the mistakes of the other shows around them, they too are going to become The Great I Was.

You think the costs incidental, eh? I guess the companies writing the checks for this one disagree with you, Randall. And in the end, it’s the decision of the jury that writes the checks that really counts in this court of public opinion.

Best regards,

Ron Lindeboom
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronlindeboom
Publisher, Creative COW Magazine
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