USENIX Technical Conference 2000 from the Exhibits Hall
(or San Diego from the Parking Garage)
I work for BSDi in the Open Source Division, which was formerly Walnut Creek
CDROM, who have been exhibiting at the Usenix Technical Conference (and LISA)
for eons. This was my first Usenix as an "official" booth employee. Until now
I'd just come along for the fun, but now I was faced with the prospect of
actually working.
Luckily for everyone it was still just as much fun.
This year was also different for us in that it was the first time all three
newly merged companies (BSDI, Telenet Systems, and Walnut Creek CDROM) were all
together in one booth as BSDi. It gave many of us a chance to actually meet
face to face finally after months of email/phone contact.
Tuesday afternoon should have started with a mad scramble to make certain that
our shipment had arrived at the booth. Instead it was a confused ramble through
the Marriott trying to find the exhibitor area. Once the general location was
established the next task was trying to get down there. The elevator needed
20 minutes for the round-trip apparently, and the stairwell was hidden behind
some potted plants.
But nothing can stop a determined vendor, and we foraged on until we arrived
in what looked much like a [rapidly] converted parking garage. And so began
setup.
Setup in some ways is almost magical. You walk into an area filled with boxes,
packing crates, discarded shrink-wrap and popcorn and at some point it turns
into a trade show. It's a great flurry of box cutter waving and forklift
dancing, meeting your booth neighbors and discovering what you forgot to pack.
Or could swear you packed but can't find. An old friend of mine had a saying
for moments like this - "Groove on the Confusion!".
We spent several hours doing the main structural setup before calling it a day
and putting off the "fiddly-bits" until the next morning. That night we had a
huge company dinner for 47 at a rather nice Italian Restaurant. Lucky for us
all 47 would not be working the booth. We barely had enough room for 6 of us!
Wednesday was Day One of the Vendor Exhibition which was scheduled to open at
noon. Several of us went down to the booth at 9:00am and began decorating,
unpacking giveaways and product, booting up demo-machines etc. At the five
minute warning we do a last check, straighten handouts, kick boxes under
tables and paste on that friendly smile. It only stays pasted for a few
minutes however as you see familiar faces and start having fun. Each little
segment of the company has habits on how the booth is organized and we had to
figure out how to do this without stepping on each other. There was a bit of
a tangle as we sorted out who was doing what, who was helping and who was just
taking up space. Everyone pitched in, some above and beyond expectations.
[Thanks Alan!]
I always enjoy the chance to listen to suggestions and comments on our
products, or take a few minutes to explain our systems to someone who is
curious. And nothing is quite as much fun as having a chance to step back and
look out at a sea of red daemon horns bouncing about the hall.
Considering how buried the hall was, it was surprising to see more people than
I had expected come by. Though after talking to some of the other vendors,
that wasn't the case with everyone. I think the most heard complaint had to
be about the lack of air conditioning. It is hard to be perky when you're
sweating like a pig <grin>. Nothing is quite as scary as the impending threat
of an angry mob when you run out of horns. You become a fan of express
shipping in a hurry.
Day Two is much like Day One, with the noted exception of tear down. Tear
down is much like setup in reverse, but not an exact fit. For one, it's a
much more dramatic change as not only do the booths come down, but the carpets
are rolled up and the wiring is removed faster than you can blink sometimes.
The Exhibition Contractor (GES) was pretty much on the ball so it was a fairly
organized state of chaos during which we palletized our equipment and attached
shipping labels to everything. (And I do mean everything) At bigger shows like
Comdex, we have an outside company do all of this for us... we have to because
of the unions and the sheer size of our "booth". We finished up in about 90
minutes then were able to relax for the first time in days. We all went to the
big 25th Anniversary Party which was one of the best USENIX Parties we've
attended...well the Monterey Aquarium party from a few Cons back was its equal.
As I mentioned above, we have been exhibiting at USENIX Conferences now for
many years and we will be doing so for as long as they are held. They are one
of our favorites because the attendees are exactly who we are marketing to,
and they know and like us. There is rarely a need to explain what FreeBSD is,
unlike at a Comdex or a CES. In addition, the folks at USENIX itself are a
joy to work with, especially Dana Geffner, their Exhibits Coordinator. We are
looking forward to LISA in New Orleans next December and the Technical
Conference in Boston next June.
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