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Re: Trade show at IETF

2012-03-19 08:13:43
Separate budgets, but it really all depends on the type of "Trade Shows" the IETF is contemplating. I will note it does spike my interest to consider going to a IETF event from a technical sales standpoint, illustrating products built on IETF standardized protocol efforts, developing technology transfer agreements, joint ventures, etc. But if targeting a consumer market, thats a different set of departmental cost issues (Sales, engineers, technicians, etc).

My only warning with this is that it make become too successful! It may actually attracts more vendors, especially among those whose main interest is as implementators and don't care much for the getting involved with the protocol development politics. As it gets bigger, the IETF will need to be ready with larger locations and offering pre-ordering space selections for the next events. This is very important part of the strategic booth location planning. Finally, a certain level of commitment will need to be shown because if the IETF does eventually decide it no longer wants (or can't) to get into this area, then refunds will be needed and whole slew of legal messy contract lawyers are needed. Also, once its reaches of level where its big part of the IETF, it might begin to see the unions knocking on the door which adds even more cost.

--
HLS

John C Klensin wrote:

--On Friday, March 16, 2012 21:28 -0700 Joel jaeggli
<joelja(_at_)bogus(_dot_)com> wrote:

On 3/16/12 20:04 , John C Klensin wrote:
Note too that, if the company sends only five technical people
and concludes that it doesn't suffer harm from that small a
number, the odds of getting back up to 10 if the experiment is
terminated and those five sales/market types disappear is just
about zero, at least until the economy improves considerable.

Scale and juggle the figures as you like, this is not a
zero-risk experiment.
You know nothing about marketing budgets.

Sorry, Joel.  I have both had to administer those budgets and
policies, been the victim of them, as well as seen it go on in
companies with whom I've done consulting work on organizational
and strategic matters.  Companies differ -- I tried to say that
-- but in many companies that are really oriented toward the
bottom line, marketing controls virtually all travel budgets.
In a few, sales and/or controls and perceptions of their needs
control almost all budget categories: Engineering is rarely a
profit center, the money has to come from somewhere, and the
organizational question is how much control the money source and
its needs affect how it is spent.

I didn't mean to suggest that the effects would be felt
immediately -- there are usually budget cycles.  But, over the
medium term, even more relaxed organizations in tight budget
situations do tend to eventually notice "total number of people
attending from company", and push back.   If the attendees
include both people from cost centers and people from profit
centers, the latter tend to win the battle for slots, or at
least to win less.

But I suppose I should defer to your superior experience in
senior management and corporate finance roles.

    john