How was New Orleans?
It was just after Mardi Gras, so the City was still somewhat decorated and filled with culture, as ever. The River was brown and we didn’t manage to make it to the ocean. The Convention Center however, was huge. Walking from one end to the other felt like miles after standing all day. Point of fact, it was actually one mile long. Tucked away in the back of the hall we had a great vantage point. We saw some old friends and met some wonderful new friends. We even wandered over to see Bill Clinton speak. We were pretty far back, and didn’t get to see very much, however. The number of people taking photos with their cell phones was astonishing. I sort of thought the Secret Service wouldn’t go for that, but apparently it’s not a big deal.
The show floor, in addition to being huge, was often very crowded. We met people from all areas of the globe. The neighboring exhibitors told horror stories about the various costs associated with everything from flying to exhibiting. One woman flew first class on Southwest Airlines, which only assured her that she would be at the front of the plane. Their business class seating did not offer larger seats, free cocktails or anything else one would associate with the hefty price increase for first class.
It’s always good to get out there, however. All too many days are spent behind a desk, so it was refreshing to see and be seen. The HIMSS tradeshow offered a great venue to get a feel for where technology is moving and to test the waters with some upcoming ideas. It was great to chat with Directors, Doctors and IT staff alike and say, “what if you could do this?” or “How would you use a product that could…” The feedback we receive at tradeshows regarding products and services is truly enlightening.
It’s excellent that we are able to take all of those discussions back to the office and work to include feature ideas and product offerings in our “What’s Next?” discussions. We are excited to attend HIMSS14 next year. Our Marketing Department is already working on a new display, the Software Department is going over requests and ideas gleaned from this year and there is an overall excitement ricocheting around our building.
We are happy to say that this year’s giveaway went over wonderfully. Giveaways are a great way of drawing people towards your booth, starting conversations and making new connections with people all over the country. This year our giveaway was a Microsoft Surface, a tool that is useful for personal and business use alike. Brenda E. from Mayo Clinic was the winner this year, congratulations again, Brenda!
Thank you HIMSS. We’ll see you next year in Orlando.
