Conference 7.286::digital

    There are a number of methods and tools, including software, that exist
    for the preparation and delivery of trade shows, seminars, and other
    events. They cover a range from a single booth or seminar up to events 
    such as U.S. DECUS Symposia and DECWORLD, and typically represent the
    integration of marketing and project management with the logistics of
    events. Please contact me directly to discuss or obtain materials.
    
    Sam

    All tradeshows and events will now have a formal review process.
    Systems are currently being developed to support these activities
    including badging, registration, followup, contact history updates,
    etc. Contact Ed Sypek or Carol Sidoti for more info.
    
    Carol

    
    The last note is correct.  However, another name to contact is Dan
    Bowman.  Dan works for Ed Sypek and manages the group who specializes
    in supporting the logistical end of trade shows.  Dan can be reached
    in MRO at DTN:297-2444.  One the flip side of Dan's group is Bart
    Mecums group.  Bart manages the group who controls the hardware that
    can be rented out to support shows, trainings and or special events.
    In line with Bart's organization in the NRO3 facility is the Customer
    Services Group know as "Trade Show Support" or more commonly known as
    "The FLY SQUAD".  These are hardware and software engineers who are
    dedicated to supporting the above type events.  The hardware folks are
    managed by Rich Johnston and the software folks by Sam Valera.
    
    All or part of the above named groups can be contracted to help in
    supporting your events.  These organizations pull off some pretty
    remarkable feats in supporting these events throughout the year.
    
    If you have any other questions please give me a call or a memo
    offline.  I kind of sit on the middle of the fence here as I work
    for Rich as a Trade Show Support (hardware) engineer but I am
    currently contracted to Bart's group as a Technical Support person
    for hardware scheduling.
    
    Bob Montville
    DTN:234-4974
    FLYSQD::Montville

Re: previous replies

I love it when this happens.  Please post details here so some future noter 
doesn't have to try to contact John Doe, who was TFSO-ed 3 months ago, for 
information.  The idea is to capture the knowledge in a forum that is of 
benefit to future generation of Digits.

Thanks,

Steve

    Steve, if you are reffering to my note about the different services and
    contacts in the previous note I thought I pretty much spelled it out.
    I covered the different organizations and there contact names.  These
    are the managers of these groups and are paid to provide information
    about their groups to perspective customers or to anyone in DEC who
    cares to gather this information.  Yes, I am part of these groups and
    very proud to be such. I am always willing to dicuss what we can
    provide in services with anyone.  However, it is the managers decission
    on how the business will be conducted.
    
    As mentioned in my note, these groups provide some pretty remarkable
    services.  These are the folks including me who have worked over 100
    hours aweek for several weeks at DECworlds, who have moved more
    equipment from Digital's inventory than most computer companies will
    ever sell, who build system software and demos from scratch with little
    or no direction, who are sometimes home long enough to read their mail
    make out a check for their bills and lick the envelope and mail at as
    their own they way back to an aiport to travel to another show.
    Yea, I could go one with more information and better text for hours.
    Why???because this is a great place to work with a great group of
    dedictated people.
    
    In answer to your questions in regards to "name dropping" and the
    person possibly being TFSO's in the future.  My belief is that it is
    business as usual.  We can't subject ourselves into believing "X" will be
    here or not be here in the future.  The peoples names I gave are alive
    and well here in Digital and I hope their here for along time.  Their
    positions are to sell their groups services and per-chance they are
    chosen to be TFSO'd or simply move on to another career there will
    be someone else who can provide ANY customer, perspective customer
    or DEC person who wants information on how they run their businesses.
    
    Hope this answers your questions!
    
    Bob

And now an answer from the non-Politically Correct.

There are several excellent people in the current trade show group, Dan 
Bowman being a perfect example.  There are also several policies that are 
terrible.  I would look very hard at renting hardware instead of using the 
internal hardware, the cost is always lower and the service is better.  The 
flying squad does an excellent job, but is often prohibitively expensive.  
The group I am in did trade shows for years with roughly 50'x50' booths for 
roughly $200K in total expenses.  Following the DEC way the cost is now 
approaching $600K (constant dollars) due to tremendous overhead and single 
tasking.

The flying squad often stays in a hotel doing nothing but support calls 
during the show for example.  I have not yet seen a method of using 
technical people to both demo and set-up/tear-down.  DEC is one of the few 
companies that does it this way.  ( I think we benchmarked IBM on this 
one.)  

It will save you a bundle to rent hardware, and pay the local rental agency 
for support.  Buying carpet locally is also often cheaper that renting 
carpet, shipping it and cleaning it.  You can always donate it afterward.

I think there are several excellent people in the tradeshow organization, 
but I would sertainly look externally also.

Matt

    re: renting vs. bringing
    
    Matt,
    
    Just a quick question, but what should we rent?  Are we talking actual
    exposistion services such a carpet, telco, and such?  Or is it mid-tech
    items such as VTP's, televisions, slide projectors and such?  I came
    from the convention business, and can comment on strategies that
    include renting.
    
    --- Gavin
    
    P.S. - Renting can be expensive relative to bring your own equipment. 
    Our company used to rent basic media products such as VTP's, monitors,
    and pre through post production facilities.  Our normal rental rates
    would allow us to pay for the equipment in under 10 rental days.  Of
    course, we sold 'total solution' packages to our clients, including
    technical and production staff.

re .7
Gavin,

>    Just a quick question, but what should we rent?  Are we talking actual
>    exposistion services such a carpet, telco, and such?  Or is it mid-tech
>    items such as VTP's, televisions, slide projectors and such?  I came
>    from the convention business, and can comment on strategies that
>    include renting.

I would look hard at buying low tech stuff, (carpet, padding, plants,
phones, card readers...  Though card readers are worth rentng from the show
if the show is supporting data collection through bar code.  I would rent 
mid-tech stuff simply because the DEC rental rates are no cheaper than 
what you can get locally.  The local people usually know the site and have 
local support that is buried in the rental rate.  DEC expositin services 
charges for th equipment AND THEN charges extra for the people necessary to 
support it.  Often these people are flown to the site at the sponsoring 
marketing groups expense.  The total cost is what matters.

I have also rented booths from expo centers, as well as local companies.  
Expo centers are expensive but are usually fully operational quickly.  
Using local companies takes more research, but can be much cheaper.  Both 
methods are better than the last few DEC booths I've seen.  Expensive, 
poorly layed out, with terrible flow and graphics.  I realize the graphics 
are the responsibility of the sponsoring group, but anyone who does shows 
for a living ought to be able to help a user design the graphics.  Perhaps 
just to give the basic Dos and Don'ts.

I would strongly recommend renting the hardware.  DEC charges a fortune 
through expo services for renting all of our boxes.  You can almost always 
get the stuff cheaper from a rental firm.  You also get support in most 
cases.  The service contracts internally are outrageous.  I have always 
rented 2 extra machines and loaded everything a couple places.  You never 
want to be loading software or fixing a box during the show.  Replacement 
is much faster and cleaner than waiting 30 minutes for a service person.


I agree that rental can be expensive, but I would certainly evaluate it 
against the total cost of a full DEC solution.

Matt