I'm going to have to say this was an amazing event! I am very happy about our leads, and booth success (
read about the business side here). But I've got to blog about how amazing this event was.
Being a
Houstonian for my entire career, I've been to several
Oil & Gas trade shows--and they can't hold a candle to the
SAPPHIRE event in Orlando Florida. Right when you walk in, you see the SAP brand splashed and literally spotlighted across every wall, poster, and aisle. Each photo as the SAP gray subtle hues, tinted as a calming color pallet. This against their YELLOW and BLUE colors really looked amazing. The theme was clearly (no pun intended) "Clarity". The subtle, yet in your face multimedia played against three story tall screens. Keynote speeches were not to be missed as the little ladies held up signs to let you know what was going on, and where you needed to be.
Now, I realize they may not have sold as much exhibitor space as they had hoped, but the lounge areas with giant black leather couches proved to be a wise investment for attendees and exhibitors. Those who weren't lucky enough to have on-booth meeting space were able to enjoy a quick prospect meeting just steps away from any booth.
I kept hearing how small this SAPPHIRE was compared to past events. WOW. Really? I thought it was ginormous. I was impressed. We also brought home more qualified leads than the past three years. Perhaps there is something to be said about a "select few". Who ever pulls this event off every year, well done! You guys are AWESOME.
We were even amaze at the FREEMAN staff who began tearing down the event in seconds, carpet was rolling up, crates were being delivered... (and special thanks to the
Novell who tolorated our popcorn machine and let us borrow their vacuum cleaner!)
Or, more appropriately entitled "21 Ads You Won't Hate" by BusinessWeek. I originally saw this post on Twitter, (Thanks @HelenWalters).
This is 
