As a former officer of an HP regional user group (MARUG) we have been
holding 3 - 4 conferences per year. These include vendor shows along with
technical sessions, over a 2-3 day period. Evidently the membership likes
this format because MARUG has been one of the best regional user groups in
the country. Yes we have attendees who do not want to be bothered by vendors
but they do not have to go to the vendor show, that is completely separate
from the technical sessions.
Vendors do not cost the Group anything, infact as mentioned below, they
cover a lot of the cost. They also tend to be there to make contacts, not
really to sell the product onsite. At least in MARUG there is not a lot of
the hard sell from vendors.
As far as a $25 fee, this would require some company donating the space and
supplies for free. I'm not against a low fee but in these times its very
hard to do. There are very few places that can hold the size convention as
an INTEREX and even MARUG. Also if you divide the total income from $25 an
attendee into your total expenses you are not left much. To get 150 people
to attend, MARUG has a mailing of 1600 pieces. Printing and postage is one
of our biggest expense.
Dennis A. Wright
<<...OLE_Obj...>>
Information Systems Consultant
[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
(804) 354-3662
-----Original Message-----
From: John Lee [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Wednesday, March 13, 2002 4:40 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [HP3000-L] Interex News Announcement
In defense of vendor shows, however, is the fact that they can
offset the
cost of the rest of the show, because vendors are paying for their
booth,
which is revenue to the show's sponsor. I'm not advocating this,
just
pointing it out. I don't exhibit at many, so I don't have any real
selfish
interest either way.
Plus it gives us vendors a chance to meet our customers, some of
whom,
believe it or not, are more than just customers...they're good
friends and
trusted colleagues. And if you've ever been to the vendor party
during HP
World, well... you'd want us back every year!!! :) :)
At 12:58 PM 3/13/02 -0800, Harrington, Don wrote:
>Yes, it would be nice; but I expect it will never happen. Why?
Because as
>long as vendors are involved, they will want to sell you something
(beyond
>things like the AMS and MAA publications), since they are in
business to
>make a profit, while AMS and MAA are not.
>
>Just a thought.
>
>Don Harrington
>Sr. Systems Analyst
>Facilities Applications Support
>Shared Services Group
>The Boeing Company
>P.O. Box 3707 M/C 6C-AK 2R-32 as of 3/20
>Seattle, WA 98124-2207
>(v) 425-234-1145 (f) 425-234-0464 (p) 206-797-6360
>(v) 206-544-5679 (f) 206-544-5788 as of 3/20
>
>The opinions expressed in this e-mail reflect those of the sender.
They do
>not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Boeing Company unless
>specifically stated otherwise.
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Wayne Brown [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
>Sent: Wednesday, March 13, 2002 12:47 PM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: [HP3000-L] Interex News Announcement
>
>
>This past weekend I attended a three-day meeting in Atlanta (at
Georgia
>Tech) of
>the American Mathematical Society. (Actually, it was a joint
meeting of the
>AMS
>and the Mathematical Association of America.) It was very much
like Wirt
>describes here: a $25 registration fee, no fancy entertainment
(other than
>a
>low-key reception the first night) or celebrity speakers, a HUGE
number of
>very
>technical talks (far more than a single individual could attend)
and an
>opportunity to purchase AMS and MAA publications at a discount.
None of the
>computer conferences (for any platform) I've ever attended offered
even a
>fraction of the pure technical expertise I found in those sessions.
I'd
>love to
>see computer conferences and user group meetings adopt that kind of
format.
>
>Wayne
>
>
>
>
>Wirt Atmar <[log in to unmask]> on 03/13/2002 02:03:08 PM
>
>Please respond to [log in to unmask]
>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>cc: (bcc: Wayne Brown/Corporate/Altec)
>
>Subject: Re: [HP3000-L] Interex News Announcement
>
>
>
>John Wolff writes:
>
>> Perhaps it is now time for a "Back to the Future" idea. Since
Interex
>> seems to be doing an increasingly poorer job of representing the
>interests
>> of the HP3000 user community (and perhaps all users), and has
been
>> exhibiting rogue behaviorial traits by putting its interests
above that
>of
>> the membership:
>>
>> Why not a new "MPE/IMAGE Users Group" for the users and run by
real
>users?
>
>I have been politely -- and perhaps far too subtly -- arguing the
same thing
>for the last 12 years. Should the emulator come to pass, it seems
that that
>would be a natural time to create a new users' group, one where
admission to
>the meetings would be $25 instead the now customary $1500.
>
>Indeed, I would argue that basically all of the traditions be
examined in
>some detail, but most especially those that are potentially
corrupted by the
>influence of money. I would argue that the meetings should be
without a
>vendor show, without high-priced entertainment or featured speakers
(Al
>Franken, etc.), or loud parties, but rather nothing much more than
a series
>of informative technical talks, where vendors are allowed to
present
>technical talks, just as any other contributor might. I've always
thought
>that because the vendors have invested a great deal of effort in
their
>products, and because they've researched their various solutions
the most
>intensely, they should be the people that you would want to listen
to the
>most carefully. But such talks would also provide the listeners in
a Q&A
>period after each talk to ask pointed questions of the speakers,
asking them
>why they did this rather than that and how their solution stacks up
against
>another.
>
>Wirt Atmar
>
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