THE SHOW MUST GO ON

Recent decisions by industry heavyweights such as Quantel and FilmLight to skip the National Association of Broadcasters 2009 show are indicative of the economic times we live in. Quantel will continue to conduct road shows and make regular customer visits going forward. FilmLight has decided to spend its time and effort engaging directly with customers and prospectives through a series of worldwide, localised events.

RED will have a presence by proxy, with cameras on display at booths of vendors showing RED support. Last year, editing and storage giant Avid skipped the NAB show, though it did conduct off-the-floor events in Las Vegas. Arch rival Apple also skipped exhibiting at NAB 2008.

Despite this, NAB 2009 is buoyed by the fact that there are more than 70 new exhibitors who will showcase technological innovations that help bring content to life. The new entrants to NAB will join a stellar lineup of NAB Show veterans on the 850,000 square feet of space that make up the NAB Show floor.

The debuting NAB Show exhibitors include Electronic Arts, Phillips 3D Solutions and 3ality Digital, each showcasing different products in the content life cycle that help unite imagination with technology.

“The NAB Show has been the leading electronic media event for more than 80 years, showcasing every stage of the content lifecycle, from creation to consumption,” said Chris Brown, NAB’s executive vice-president of Conventions and Business Operations.

There is something to be said for actually being on the show floor. After all, there is nothing like putting your hands on a piece of equipment or asking product engineers directly your questions. Those things are difficult to do over the web.

If there is cause to cheer, it lies in the fact that despite the dark clouds, approximately 1,600 companies, including 430 international exhibitors, have chosen to attend. The NAB Show has been the launch platform for hundreds of new products and thousands of product enhancements. Each year we look forward to learning about the unique opportunities that these new companies will bring to the show. Long will it reign.