Garrett Smith asks “Was the fall VON show a disappointment?”, and points to my comments about the blogger panel to indicate that I was dissatisfied with the show.Â
For the record, this VON was the best VON I have ever attended.
From the opening buzz around iotum at the voice over IM panel on day-1 right through the exhibits, presentations, panels and social gatherings …. the message was clear: VON is where VoIP, Voice and Vision, happen!
For iotum, it was a stellar show – the fruit of three years of hard work – and a lot of behind the scenes good faith, planning, preserverance and vision that is slowly coming to reality.
Thanks to the work we’ve done, and to the help we’ve had from our advisors, people couldn’t talk about presence and real-time communications, without referring to iotum.
And, for the record, my comments on the blogger panel were simply intended to provoke a discussion about whether that particular event could be improved, or whether (like many sessions at similar shows) it should be replaced in the future.Â
Congratulations to Jeff Pulver and his team on a job, well done. We certainly feel that VON created opportunities for us.
Alec Saunders is the Vice President of Developer Relations for BlackBerry maker Research in Motion. This is his personal blog, with his personal viewpoints. Prior to this Alec was the CEO and co-founder of Calliflower — the easiest way to hold a meeting, online, on a conference call, or on the go. A double-decade veteran of product management and marketing, he spent nine years at Microsoft where he helped launch Windows 95, the first two versions of Internet Explorer, the Universal Plug and Play initiative, the push into home markets, opt-in email marketing and what might well go down in history as the very first direct email list ever.
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I just happened to be at the computer at the right time, Garrett
Wow! That was a lightining fast response. Did you hack into my site and write a response as I wrote my post?
My intent was not to bash Jeff and his show…I really want to hear what everyone thinks about the show.
Again, I was divided on the show, but then again every show has it’s pros and cons.
Apparently the vision was primarily of empty aisles, furious exhibitors and purple clogs.
Hiya Unhappy,
What I didn’t mention, of course, was the amount of prep we did before the show. One thing I’ve learned about trade shows is that they’re an opportunity to cement relationships, to solidify deals, and to create news. What they’re most definitely not very good for is prospecting, although ironically, that’s what most companies spend the money on. So, we firmed up all our meetings in advance, met with the people we wanted to see, cooked the deals we wanted to cook… it rocked!
A
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