Interop 2009: A look from the Inside
By: Kim Cullen, PowerSource Online Magazine
Your business has probably been affected by this economy. Companies are cutting back on everything. So, where does that leave you? There are two broad choices, sit back and wait for the economy to turn around or take matters into your own hands and find new leads and rekindle relationships with existing clients. Even in a down market, you still need to follow the Marketing 101 rule: You need to spend money to make money. A great way to get additional exposure for your company, make new contacts and build upon existing customer relationships is attending or exhibiting at an Industry Trade Show and/or Conference.
In May, I attended Interop Las Vegas 2009, a conference and exhibit expo that is the “Technology Industry’s most comprehensive IT Conference,” according to Interop’s website. Although the show was not geared toward the secondary market, the used and refurbished market was in attendance and both UNEDA (United Network Equipment Dealers Association) and Network Hardware Resale exhibited and represented the validity and trust in buying from the secondary market at the Interop Trade Show.
My goal of the Interop Trade Show and Conference was not much different than any other company’s business goals, make contacts. Of course, my contacts were for upcoming magazine articles (and I had some fantastic interviews with very interesting topics that you can look forward to reading in upcoming issues!) and partnerships to help PowerSource Online and our members. No matter what the purpose of gaining contacts, the steps are the same
1. Get your company name out (we had PowerSource Online Magazine at the Interop Trade Show, everyone I spoke with got a business card and a copy of the magazine)
2. Make new contacts ( I spoke with many companies at the Interop Trade Show Exibit Hall who want to write an article, discuss an issue or build a relationship with PowerSource Online)
3. Build upon existing relationships (while at the show, I also made appointments with current PowerSource Online members).
If your budget is tight, exhibiting may not be for your company. Although new customers and traffic at Interop Trade Show and others tend to pay for themselves multiple times over, some companies just can not afford to exhibit at a show. Financial struggles may not be the only reason to not exhibit at a show. Many companies benefit more from attending the show & conference and walking around and being pro-active about making contacts. This allows you to take your learning and company exposure into your own hands. Personally, I attended Interop Las Vegas 2009, I walked around, I learned a lot about the market and Industry, I made great contacts and I would recommend it to any company reading this magazine with the IT Industry.
One of the days while at the Interop Trade Show, I had the opportunity to sit down with Lenny Heymann, General Manager of Interop to learn a little more about the history of Interop, its attendees and the role conferences such as Interop Las Vegas 2009 within the Industry. As “brand manager of Interop worldwide,” Heymann has major responsibilities of positioning the event in different markets, deciding what the content of the shows will be and running the event and sales offices for Interop. Heymann stated that the biggest takeaway of Interop Trade Show would be “that we’d see that our market is on strong footing and that we will help lead the way out of the recession,” which he also repeated in his Interop Trip Report. According to Heymann, many of the exhibitors that he spoke with said that business was still good considering the down economy.
Another important key that Heymann and the entire Interop team had to keep in mind while planning the conference is ROI for the attendees, “when you have to get on a plane to go someplace and be out of the office, you have to make a really good case for what you are going to get out of the event.” Heymann looks at where the market is going for conference content that will be educational and useful for attendees; events such as Virtualization Day, Energy Camp and Enterprise Cloud Summit all help to make the show educational and useful for many IT Professionals at Interop Las Vegas 2009. He stated that “the event has to carefully manage itself to be very current in terms of what people need to know today and what people expect Interop to tell them where things are going to go tomorrow.”
Interop recently released a survey that reflected an increase among its attendees in technology spending. The report showed that 42% of its attendees technology budgets have actually increased compared to 2008 budgets. The survey also compiled why attendees came to Interop. The top three reasons that attendees value the Interop experience are: “meeting with a variety of vendors in one place, to see new products and stay up to date on technologies, and to see technology in action through in person demonstrations.
Interop Las Vegas 2009 offers a show to help IT professional gain education, find new Industry contacts, make contacts for potential reselling opportunities and more. If you were not able to make it to the Las Vegas show in May which I attended, Interop is an international event with shows in Toyko (June), Mumbai (October) and New York (November).
Interop Las Vegas 2009 was filled with professionals buying and selling both software and hardware, but where does the secondary market fit into this mix? “It (the Secondary Market) is a very important part of the ecosystem so we make sure that our (attendees) certain to see all the options (available to them) in terms of how they buy or sell equipment. It is important to have (the secondary market) as part of the mix, certainly” Heymann answered. I agree. The secondary market is a part of the IT ecosystem and will always be; there are benefits for IT professionals within the secondary market available at shows such as Interop.
No matter which show you are able to attend, you should try to get to at least one Interop Trade Show in 2009 or 2010. The success from attending or exhibiting at a show like Interop is up to you and how you approach it. Take a lesson from me, whether exhibiting or walking around the show floor, speak with as many people as you can, as you can never have too much information.
