-Note- WISPA is currently negotiating with a trade show group to participate in the development of a wireless broadband show. While the decision to do this is not yet finalized, the show group will decide the date/location of the show if that is the direction that we go in. -Note-
I also thought that a midwestern location would be better for a show, especially since so many WISPs are within driving distance. However, I also thought that the Chicago spring 2008 ISPCON would be a rousing success, and it was a big dud. That may be due to a lot of other factors, but there just wasn't much of a turnout there. There are substantial external costs involved in doing a Midwestern show. Flights are generally expensive, transportation to/from the airport can be challenging and hotel rooms can get very pricey in the nicer venues. The trade show guys prefer Vegas because flights are cheap, rooms are cheap, transportation from the airport is readily available and cheap and there is plenty to do there outside of the show. Vegas will also "scale up" to accomodate a larger event. Not everyone is going to agree with Vegas as the destination, but it is as appropriate of a location as any. Matt Larsen vistabeam.com Justin Wilson wrote: > My .02 > > I have been involved with the Gi Joe Collector’s club and their annual > show. Granted this is a Hobby based get together with a wider > audience. They routinely receive 3 to 5,000 visitors at each show. > However, they have concentrated their shows in central part of the > country as much as possible. Atlanta, St. Louis, Kansas City, and some > others over the past couple of years. The organizers will not do any > shows in California or even Las Vegas due to the poor turn out for > these past shows. The only reason they are doing something on the East > Coast this year is a tie in with the manufacturer. > > I might be comparing Apples to oranges but that’s my take. > -- > Justin Wilson <j...@mtin.net> > /CCNA – CCNT – Mikrotik Advanced > /http://j2sw.mtin.net/blog > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > *From: *Jeff Broadwick <jeffl...@comcast.net> > *Reply-To: *WISPA General List <wireless@wispa.org> > *Date: *Tue, 9 Feb 2010 08:50:35 -0500 > *To: *'WISPA General List' <wireless@wispa.org>, 'WISPA Board Members > List' <bo...@wispa.org>, <memb...@wispa.org>, <wispas...@wispa.org> > *Subject: *Re: [WISPA] [Board] [Wispashow] Decision on WISPA Show > > Hi Rick, > > You asked... > > Personally, I don't think that putting a small to medium sized show on is > that big of a production. FISPA does it with minimal staff. > > I think you could hire someone to do the footwork, working with the > venues, > sell the vendor sponsorships, etc. I know that Greg Boehnlein (ran Ohio > LinuxFest for years) is available for contract work. > > IMHO, the best show that Wispa could do at this moment would be one that > would: > > 1. Raise some money > 2. Provide a fun environment for members and prospective members to meet, > share ideas, and bond (think Wispcon 1-4) > 3. Give a solid tech track and management track > 4. Be in a central, relatively inexpensive venue with a reasonable sized > airport (STL, Indy, Columbus, Grand Rapids, etc.) > > I do not think that hiring someone to manage this is the way to go. It > adds > cost and (IMO) adds little value. Big shows are DYING. Smaller, well > focused, regional shows are doing pretty well. I think the day will come > when a big show will make sense, but not this year. > > > Regards, > > Jeff > > > Jeff Broadwick > ImageStream > 800-813-5123 x106 (US/Can) > +1 574-935-8484 x106 (Int'l) > > -----Original Message----- > From: wireless-boun...@wispa.org [mailto:wireless-boun...@wispa.org] On > Behalf Of Rick Harnish > Sent: Monday, February 08, 2010 10:45 PM > To: 'WISPA Board Members List'; 'WISPA General List'; memb...@wispa.org; > wispas...@wispa.org > Subject: Re: [WISPA] [Board] [Wispashow] Decision on WISPA Show > > Butch, Members and Observers, > > > > There is a WISPA Board meeting this Thursday. Now is the time for all to > weigh in on opinions on a WISPA Trade Show. > > > > I have met with one tradeshow developer with Matt and Forbes and have > spoken > to several others by phone/email. There is great interest in outside > parties working with WISPA to develop a show. It seems many of these > options wish to leverage the WISPA reputation and branding to produce > a show > which will be financially rewarding to private interests. The question is > whether WISPA can produce and own its own show as a successful venture. > > > > Our lobbying costs have skyrocketed the last six months, there are > calls for > an Executive Director by many and there is the cost of producing a > tradeshow. Financially, WISPA is not in a position to do all three in my > opinion. WISPA still needs to build membership or raise dues to accomplish > all three of the above goals. It is another typical chicken and the egg > dilemma. Give us your input. > > > > We can do anything we set our minds to; we have all proven that by > building > our businesses. But at some time we need to recognize that the revenue > generated by 300 WISP members at $250 per year just is not going to > accomplish everything that is desired. Put some serious thought into the > financial aspects of what I just said and really think about the solutions > that you suggest and what is more important to your business and our > industry. > > > > I will tell you that several factors are weighing on this decision but > these > are some of my thoughts: > > > > 1. The desire of the Board and Members to have a successful show which > encompasses the following: > > a. Is educational to our membership > > b. Is affordable to our members > > c. Is cost effective to our vendor members > > d. Is productive in terms of attracting new members > > e. Is breakeven at a minimum in no more than two years > > f. Is in a venue that is easily accessible and has plenty of options for > lodging, entertainment is not overpriced > > 2. The Board realizes the effectiveness of planning a successful show will > be compromised if done as a volunteer effort. > > a. Dedicated staff/manager is essential to the success > > b. Beginner's mistakes should be minimized > > c. Options are to hire a tradeshow development firm, partner with an > existing tradeshow, hire a consultant and college interns > > 3. A successful Tradeshow venture will take a substantial amount of > capital > to plan, coordinate, down payments, signage and many other expenses. The > options currently under consideration: > > a. Partner with a developer who will front the investment needed, but will > control the profits (WISPA would benefit from new memberships) > > b. Hire a consultant and obtain key startup investment from our Vendor > Members as High Level Sponsors > > c. Produce a small show in a low cost venue with all investment coming > from > the WISPA Bank Account Reserves at the risk of forfeiting important > lobbying > efforts. > > 4. Location is a factor > > a. Everyone wants the tradeshow near them. > > b. Maximum attendance will most likely be produced by good marketing and > reasonable cost/benefit tradeoff. > > c. Popular tradeshow venues are Las Vegas, Dallas, Orlando, Chicago, Lower > cost venues may be St. Louis, Indianapolis, Denver, Columbus, Atlanta. > > d. Location should have access to direct flights > > e. Location should be comfortable in terms of climate/time of the year > > f. Location should have activities nearby for those bringing families > > 5. Everyone will have an opinion > > a. There is no solution that will satisfy all > > b. No matter what solution is decided, be prepared for criticism > > c. Use member input to determine the best solution for members, > vendors and > WISPA > > d. Find ways to produce valuable productive volunteer assets out of those > who take great interest in the program > > > > Respectfully, > > > > Rick Harnish > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: board-boun...@wispa.org [mailto:board-boun...@wispa.org] On > > > Behalf Of Butch Evans > > > Sent: Monday, February 08, 2010 8:36 PM > > > To: WISPA General List > > > Cc: WISPA Board Members List > > > Subject: Re: [Board] [WISPA] [Wispashow] Decision on WISPA Show > > > > > > On Mon, 2010-02-08 at 12:03 -0800, Forbes Mercy wrote: > > > > While I initially had the same concerns you had and was not even > > > that > > > > personally impressed in our meeting with their promoters, I > > > eventually > > > > decided it was the way to go for one reason, membership. > > > > > > So, here is the board (one member anyway) stating that you (not a > > > committee) decided to go with them. > > > > > > > Also for those who have stated we have made up our minds, those > > > people > > > > are just people stirring s^&t, they speak from no fact whatsoever > > > and > > > > just like to say the board just does what they want, it's crap, > > > untrue. > > > > > > Even YOU say that the board made this decision. Well, not the board, > > > but you and Matt. The message posted to the committee said the same > > > thing. Who is the "those people..." you are referring to? I have > > > stated nothing more or less than fact. > > > > > > > We've been very transparent and this debate is us taking that input > > > and > > > > using it to weigh heavily in our decision. > > > > > > Which input are you referring to? There has been only one message > > > (mine) posted to the committee list and I didn't say one way or the > > > other beyond stating that IF we (WISPA) were to put on a show, it > > would > > > have to be late in the year due to the timing of the messages and > > > discussion (or lack of discussion, to be more precise). FWIW, it > > would > > > appear that the board is not even in complete agreement that the path > > > you and Matt chose is right, as Marlon has been posting things to the > > > show committee list indicating that HE thinks the show should be a > > > WISPA > > > event, too. > > > > > > > It's a huge decision, easy > > > > for members to say "hey you put on your own show" but just think > > > about > > > > the work that would put on a volunteer board versus the idea of what > > > I > > > > stated above. > > > > > > But isn't this a member focused organization? At least this should > > > have > > > been a committee decision. We did not even have opportunity to > > discuss > > > it. We were simply told that you (Forbes) and Matt had made the > > > decision. There was no input to consider. > > > > > > > Most opinions I've read have been self serving ones, 'put > > > > it five miles from my house' kind of thing. We're trying to serve > > > the > > > > entire country and those with the middle America approach are very > > > valid > > > > for that reason. We'd really enjoy hearing these kind of ideas but > > > if > > > we > > > > sit here and argue where all day we'll never get to put it on and > > > yet > > > > another WISPA initiative gets buried in minutia, as a board this is > > > > exactly what we are trying to stop. > > > > > > THEN SEND THE QUESTION TO A COMMITTEE! Isn't that what the committees > > > are for? This isn't even a member's list that you are posting this to > > > (me, either). > > > > > > -- > > > ******************************************************************** > > > * Butch Evans * Professional Network Consultation* > > > * http://www.butchevans.com/ * Network Engineering * > > > * http://store.wispgear.net/ * Wired or Wireless Networks * > > > * http://blog.butchevans.com/ * ImageStream, Mikrotik and MORE! * > > > ******************************************************************** > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > Board mailing list > > > bo...@wispa.org > > > http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/board > > > No virus found in this incoming message. > > > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > > > Version: 8.5.435 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2676 - Release Date: > > > 02/08/10 19:35:00 > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > ---- > WISPA Wants You! 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