| My Trip To Comdex Fall 2000 My work this weekend 10-13 of November takes me to Las Vegas, Nevada to help set up a trade show for Hewlett Packard. Our job is to set up a group of networked computers so they can show the new products for the year. This is the first time I�ve ever been to this city. My first impression when I got off the plane was CONCRETE. As I was waiting for our ride in the 5 story-parking garage I realized there was nothing natural to be seen. No ground or trees, only the sky. It�s hard to describe to you the number of gambling casinos that this city has. And the extravagance they display is almost unreal. There�s a full size replica of the Egyptian Pyramid that is a hotel inside. . A replica of the Eiffel tower, and Huge fountains every where. Huge video screens (50x75 feet) are advertising all the benefits and attractions at the hotel/casino they are in front of. The hotel we�re staying in is based on the theme of Roman civilization.(Caesars� Palace) that seems fitting ,as the whole point of the place is gambling and that society was as decadent as the values promoted here. All the buildings and all the furnishings are in the theme and it�s all so big it actually feels like you are outside in some parts. I wish I was better with words and could describe it to you. It�s almost like a cross between Disneyland and a casino. The money people must lose here to pay for all this must be incredible. As for myself I don�t drink or gamble so they won�t be getting any of my money. The trade show we�ll be setting up is as much of a circus only it�s all about the latest in Hi-tech computer stuff. The companies involved spare no expense to get a booth and display their products. Ill try to give you a description of all the antics and nonsense that goes on there after I experience it. Saturday eve. So far we�ve been more waiting than working. Waiting for the setup crew to do their work. They are setting up office displays and a full size garage that�s a replica of the first place a Hewlett-Packard product was made. This afternoon we went to look at the convention center where the actual Comdex trade show was being setup to begin starting Monday. I thought that I could not be surprised any further after what I�ve seen already, but I was, and very much so. The size of this convention center alone was overwhelming. I�m sure that the area must be well over a million Square feet. Each vendor had their area set up with huge and extensive lighting, and graphic displays. Some were even equipped with second floors. Just walking through made me want to think, �All I need is my one pc, all this computer software and hardware is too much!� In the next 48 hours over 100 thousand people will be flying or driving into this town to attend this much touted event. A cab driver informed me that Las Vegas has over 146,000 hotel rooms and building more all the time. The city is just over 1 million native population and because it�s in the desert all the water must be imported from surrounding areas. From what I can see there�s no effort to conserve water being made. When the show starts they will be giving out every type of free advertising gimmick. Pens, mouse pads, pocket knives, key chains, T shirts with the product name emblazoned across the front and back, frizbees, CD-ROM holders, canvas carrying bags, I even found a pen that has a wand to blow tiny soap bubbles and a small reservoir of soap bubbles inside. And literature, tons of literature. Most of it will find it�s way to the trash within a week or in some forgotten drawer. Bill Gates will make a keynote speech and an appearance here Sunday, as well as a lot of other hi -tech leaders. Seems there is an unspoken dress code in this city. It�s easy to follow. Dress in whatever you want and you will be right in style as long as what you dress in is black. Black anything will do, but if you really want to be in style you will need a black leather coat. Out of a group of 50 people 35 of then might be dressed in this manner. The whole of the show was much too big to ever begin to describe. Here are just a few of the more interesting scenes. A man and a woman standing on either side of the stage giving the Talk about how wonderful the new product that they are selling is and all its advantages and benefits. Both of them are only actors and have no real idea what the product is about or how it works. One display featured a group of dancing men and women doing aerobic dancing. (what that has to do with data storage still alludes me) One guy was doing magic tricks to impress the audience. He was selling video cards. A booth selling virus protection software and the company representatives were dresses like federal prisoners of old, black and white stripes, with caps to match. Not many people were stopping by there and they seemed a bit embarrassed to have to wear such a costume . The whole thing seemed to take on a carnival atmosphere the more I looked about. Some of the speakers periodically throw out some of the free samples T-shirts or pens out into the crowd. Is really quite a scene to see grown men in women, some dressed in business suits scrambling to get T-shirt that they probably never would wear. Mt of the products being displayed were variations of other products being displayed elsewhere. The push this year seems to be wireless communication with PC�s and wireless communication with networks. There were wireless keyboards, wireless mice, wireless network cards, and wireless cameras. Another big push this year was the synchronization of cellular phones with hand-held computer devices and computers .The technology is becoming so sophisticated and an complicated that you have to be a technician to do what anybody used to be able to do with an notebook or pad of paper and pen. Some companies were a promoting completely computerized lifestyle. Where a businessman before he leaves the office, he could tell the computer at his house to turn the heat up, unlock the front door, feed the dogs some more food and to check the refrigerator to see how much milk he had. He could then instruct the computer to check his email so it would be waiting for him. Then could start his car and have it warming so that when he arrived at the parking lot it would be ready to go. Who needs it? Id rather life get less automated, not more. After about 3 hours of wandering about (shoulder to shoulder with the crowds) I had enough, and we headed to the airport to get away from all the chaos and blatant commercialism. The trip back was uneventful and its good to be back where is relatively quiet and slow. |
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