VanLUG Email Archive
Toronto got a 20' wide by 10' deep space. I've been told I'll be able to
get the same for Vancounver but I won't promise anything specific until I
have a specific booth assignment and their signature on paper.
> > Similar to those set up by VanLUG at InstallFest I. We'll have to find out
> > what we can do about a network connection. One (cheap) possibility is an
> > Amateur Radio 56k link to the Mt. Seymour repeater ;-)
>
> Perhaps one of the ISPs in the harbour center would be willing to help? :)
> Some of them will have network connections there, either that or we can
> cover this with a promotion for an ISP by letting us hookup up a cat 3 or
> cat 5 to their connection there in exchange for promoting their internet
> services.
We will be severely limited by cost as to what we can have in this regard.
Again, this is going by the Toronto excperience:
A phone line is $100 for three days, having an Internet drop (a 10BaseT
cable and one assigned IP address) is $1,400. You will want a local ISP
to provide you with the Internet side of a good-old V.90 modem0based PPP
connection -- far from the end of the world.
(You'll be so busy demonstrating Linux locally that you'll rarely need to
go to the outside Internet unless you're answering questions on support or
resources,)
> Anyone think that a wavelan would make it from inside the convention
> center to say, the 10-11th floor?
They may not allow it. The only communications inside the building,
outside of cellphones, are what Comdex management will allow; and they're
government by what show management will allow *them*. I can get you
contacts with the convention centre, but don't plan on anything we can't
get specifically approved.
> I'm also sure that Cisco Canada would love to help. They usually have an
> ISDN line or something to show off their networking equipment.
We tried hard to get an ISDN line into Toronto with no luck. Maybe we'll
have better luck in Vancouver.
> > Similar to those staged by VanLUG at InstallFest I. We'll have to make
> > arrangements with COMDEX for access to a presentation area, though. CLUE
> > suggests that we try to get people on some of the COMDEX panel
> > discussions. Alternatively, we could ask COMDEX to create a panel
> > discussion specifically for us.
>
> Babes and quake2? :)
One humble suggestion:
*** NO GAMES ***
Comdex is sold to both exhibitors and attendess as a purely
business-oriented show -- they don't even allow in anyone under 21. They
don't invite students or hobbyists, deliberately. Comdex audience is
mostly corporate IT managers, analysts, consultants and resellers. The
staff *must* be people capable of dealing with that audience.
Consider very hard what part games will have in your demonstration.
You may want to have an attention-grabber, but I'm not sure that a
blood-and-guts arcade game is the way.
Note: this isn't to say that shows aimed at hobbyists and students are not
valuable. It's simply important to know what your audience is before
knowing what to show -- and the Comdex audince has not students or
hobbyists (generally speaking).
> Perhaps CLUE would be willing to pay models in bikinis to go around and
> go "Linux?" to the various other booths? :)
Believe it or not, Comdex does offer us a price-list for models/hosts,
some of which may even come in bathing suits.
> It worked for OS/2 after all :)
Um, look at the popularity of OS/2... did it really work? ;-)
> I think the Comdex panel discussions are pretty much well set, although if
> we're going to do it, we'd have to do it right now.
I'll see if I can have a talk with the conference organizer, It may not be
too late.
> I suggest we promote as many companies as possible, and get them to chip
> in. We should also go for companies that epople wouldn't expect, like
> crack dot com and id software :)
Riiiight,
What you can do that CLUE can't is tap into local existing Linux
resellers, bookstores and consultants.
- Evan
PS: Don't forget to have a look at what the Toronto booth looked like:
http://www.linux.ca/comdex.html