Firework night - in Munich?
04 November 2008
Admittedly the fireworks will be metaphorical rather than real, but next week's big exhibition is sure to find the industry in party mode.
The scale of electronica is truly awesome. It is astonishing that an industry that depends on components that are often not much bigger than a pin head can command an exhibition on such a grand scale.
Veterans of the biennial extravaganza will be waiting with breath bated to explore the treasures in Munich’s giant halls. And the waiting is nearly over - next Tuesday (11 November 2008) the doors will open and 78,000 people are expected to visit over 3000 exhibitors. Most of these exhibitors have something new to say – a new product or service; and all of the featured products in this week’s newsletter will be on display at electronica. But I have been asking the question a lot over the past few weeks (mainly because I have been asked to visit so many of the exhibitor’s stands), why should I?
This is not out of petulance or laziness, but more to do with time management, as four days is just not enough to see every company in every one of the cavernous halls. The answer I have received from these exhibitors has been most refreshing, because the days of peering at trays of components in glass cases are well and truly over. Equally there is also no obvious indication that we might be returning to a ‘motor show mentality’ that was beginning to surface a decade or so ago whereby scantily clad maidens were believed to be instrumental in enticing engineers (who were obviously all male) onto their stands. Engineers must have been seen by their suppliers as lonely, sex-starved (male) creatures waiting to be lured to the trap, like sailors drawn to the mermaids’ song.
Mostly, although not entirely, they are changed days now. Instead, companies, many of whom will have planned major product launches to coincide with the show, are giving live demonstrations to show how their components/assemblies/software etc fits into the target end applications.
The focus is on education and added value. Engineers going to electronica need to feel that they are making good use of their time and the suppliers have realised this. Which is why I think the biggest advantage of actually being there is that the teams or individuals responsible for developing or managing new products will have flown in from whatever part of the world that they originate from to discuss and educate and share. The focus is on the transfer of knowledge and the real currency for the exhibitors, and what gives them ‘visitor appeal’, is to be the company with the knowledge!
No doubt there will be many people conscious of the economic climate and concerned about how it might affect their particular segment of the market, but I suspect at electronica, when people are there to discuss the projects of the future, that the mood will be far more optimistic.
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