Re: Avid says No to NAB 2008

Rather than add comment snippets I'll post this comment.

I'm one of those small prod/post folks who can't shut my business to go to NAB
YET I think trade shows are critical (and wish there were more in NYC).

Road Shows
Road shows are great IF you know about them. Some of them are NOT well publicized.
Often they happen on the ONE DAY you're booked. Trades are across several days.
Often one is shut out of the LIMITED SEATING at a Road Show.

Internet
Marketing info on the internet is often TOO VAGUE.
Often there's a lot of misinformation, not coming from the manufacturer.

Trade Shows
One often sees products one DOES NOT KNOW ABOUT.
It's one stop shopping. One does not have to see EVERYTHING. One can target the vendors one needs to talk to.
NOTHING replaces the chance to say, "Can you SHOW me what you mean when you say your product does this?"

NYC just had a GREAT SMALL TRADE SHOW. NY ProTech Expo.
http://www.protechexpo.com/
It was production focused. People got to see presentation on the Sony F23, RED, Sony EX1 amongst others. Panasonic P2 gear was also well represented. Sony people did their presentations. The Rental and Sales VARs had the gear to test. BTW rather than using the overpriced Javitz Center or some hotel, they had it at Steiner Studio just outside of Manhattan (Brooklyn Navy Yard).
http://www.steinerstudios.com/projectsummary.html

I think the above is the IDEAL "New" model for a trade show. It's focused on a specific aspect of the business with "like/competitive" products so one can hear presentations from the manufacturers and then talk to the companies/VARs that actually make the sales.

I understand that big companies like Avid find that my small purchases mean so little to invest marketing to me. BUT small targeted local trade shows, away from the overpriced "traditional" (expensive) trade show venues SHOULD BE a new and viable way to market to businesses like mine.

Obviously Sony found it worthwhile to market the F23 (and SR1 and HDCAM SR) as well as XDCAM HD to me and the VARs who can make the sales or rentals where there and ready to cash in . . . in a location that probably didn't break their banks. That's a sensible Trade Show.

BTW the COW didn't have it listed in their Events Section sadly (NY Pro Tech Expo marketed the show through the many local user groups and the VARs marketed it as well). Maybe this is the kind of show COW SHOULD be digging to find out about (Or maybe such trade show sponsors need to know about the COW).